Reincarnation
by broser
Summary: Through an accident, Uchiha Itachi is reborn with all his memories of a prior life. He struggles to protect his new brother, Harry Potter, in a new world where everything is different.
1. Prologue

**Reincarnation**

**Disclaimer: **Rights to Naruto do not belong to me. Rights to Harry Potter do not belong to me. The idea for this story belongs to IReadNoNonsense. I read her work and decided to try to write her comedic story more seriously. You can find her story by pasting 5857055 into the story ID number space.

Summary: Through an accident, Uchiha Itachi is reborn with all his memories of a prior life. He struggles to protect his new brother, Harry Potter, in a new world where everything is different.

Pairings: James/Lily, Fugaku/Mikoto, previous Itachi/Uchiha lover.

Chapter Summary: Itachi's final battle with Sasuke

Chapter Warnings: Character Death, Spiritual/Religious themes

1. Prologue

Itachi looked to Sasuke as he died. Sasuke. His silly little brother, so determined, so powerful; he had such strong attacks and so much potential. And still, he was so weak. Itachi was glad he'd given some of his power to Naruto. Perhaps it would help them to see the truth. Or as much of it as Itachi knew or suspected. Then again, his little brother was so stubborn. It was a good thing he had Naruto. The fox carrier believed in him. Perhaps… perhaps he had done enough. Even if he hadn't, it had been his best. Itachi had given enough. He'd given everything. He had nothing else left. It was with a sense of peace that he closed his eyes for the last time. It was time to rest.

Heaven. Hell. What some called the other side. No one living can describe it properly. Some could access parts of it, dimensions along-side their own world, and all parts of the universe in it's complicated design. But none truly come back remembering the afterlife.

Which was probably just as well.

Unmei and Anki, personifications of Destiny and Fate, paused in their endless work. They could feel a disturbance, an imbalance where none should be. Chaos meddling. They reached out, trying to feel and understand. Something that should not be lost had gone, and a little hole had been torn in the fabric of the universe. Smaller than a pinprick really, but they were entities charged with making sure that nothing like this occurred. Troubled, they felt for a solution, and reached out to grab a thread from the design that would fit the hole.

At the same time, Uchiha Itachi died, his soul flaring and pulsing, life left behind, death an instant ahead, one amongst many. Chaos danced between the threads, touching this one, bending that one, weaving and dancing and following impulse. Unmei reached out, yes, this part here, to fix the hole, and the balance was kept. Anki sealed it, fitted the thread to a new pattern. Unmei and Anki turned their attention to the whole, satisfied the problem had been solved.

In the grand design it had. There was no error. No hole in the design. The pattern would continue. Not as it had been, but with a new thread in place. Chaos snuck away, whirling with enjoyment. Unmei and Anki had not noticed as it brushed against the thread as they fixed it to the pattern anew. A thread that still remembered what it had been, chosen by Unmei, and sealed by Anki, and tainted by Chaos. The pattern had changed.

In time, in a world he'd never before been part of, Uchiha Itachi opened his eyes and howled.

~Break~Break~Break~Break~Break~Break~Break~Break~Break~

"-Leon Mathew Potter."

"That's a wonderful name Lily-flower." James Potter said, kissing his wife softly on the forehead.

He couldn't help but smile at the small bundle in Lily Potter's arms. Even if there was a war going on in their world, precious memories like these were priceless. James wouldn't choose to forget this moment for anything. He looked at Lily, exhausted from delivering his second son, and felt himself soften, his anger and fear slipping away. Leon had been unexpected. Two months after Harry had been born Lily had told him she was pregnant again. She had been prescribed a set of spells to help her after the strain birthing Harry had caused, and part of the spells let her know how her body was doing. She'd been quite surprised, two weeks into September, to learn that she was pregnant once again. The second time around, she'd visited both muggle doctors and wizarding Healers, as this pregnancy was taking a much harder toll on her body than the first. She nearly lost the baby twice, but both she and the baby fought hard. Lily had gone into labor a month early, near the end of April, scaring her husband, as she demanded he floo the healer, while she called for the midwife she'd arranged to be there at the delivery of her second child. While not an easy delivery, both she and her new son were healthy, if tired. For a while it had been touch and go, and everyone had feared for the baby's life. James was convinced that for a second, as he held his newborn son, still covered in birthing fluid, that he'd died. In the next instant however, the muggle midwife had slapped his new son's bottom, and the infant's body had jolted and he began to howl in outrage of his treatment. James could not describe the relief he felt at seeing that, or waiting until the child had been cleaned up and presented to Lily, and then he could see both in the bed before him, healthy and alive.

From the door he heard a small gurgle and the sound of heavy footsteps, familiar ones, and Sirius burst in with little Harry in his arms.

"He's a monster James! I can't believe you can live in the same house with this little Prongslet!" Sirius said as Harry tugged his long black hair, clenched in the toddler's pudgy fist. "Ow! Hey, stop that!" Sirius complained half-heartedly. Harry just gurgled and pulled some more, trying to stuff it in his mouth. Sirius looked at Lily carefully, and then flicked his eyes to James and tilted his head questioningly. James smiled blindingly at him.

"Well, he's definitely his father's son alright!" Lily said with a smile, and a sharp little look at James that Sirius didn't notice. Although a little short of breath and still tired from her labor, lying propped on pillows in her bed, she still managed to look regally down her nose at Sirius.

"Definitely- OW! HEY!" Sirius cried out. James bopped Sirius on the head and deftly scooped the now giggling toddler from Sirius easily, the result of months of practice. Sirius had been taking his duties as new godfather rather seriously. It had been the right thing to do, naming Sirius godfather to Harry. Even Lily admitted that now. James wondered tiredly if she still remembered his promise that she could choose the next godfather, in exchange for not opposing James choice of Sirius for Harry. Probably, he suspected. And he was pretty sure he knew whom she'd choose too. She'd want the same man for Leon that she'd wanted for Harry; that choice James had strongly opposed. James pushed negative thoughts aside though; content to enjoy the moment with his family, all of them with him now.

"What are you talking about? We Potters are perfect! What exactly are you implying, Black?" James teased his best friend, his brother in all but blood. Lily made a scoffing sound, although her lips curved upwards slightly.

"Hush now! You'll wake him up." Lily chided softly, nodding her head to the youngest Potter in her arms.

Sirius and James moved closer to Lily's bedside, James with Harry in his arms. They watched as the new baby blinked and opened his eyes, gaze alert and oddly focused, eyes flickering around and over everything. Still, the baby didn't pause on any one purpose for more than a second, and very soon he blinked sleepily before he closed his eyes and his breathing evened out again as he fell asleep once more.

Harry seemed to notice the new presence in his mother's arms and stared at it while he balanced in his father's arms.

"Mah. Url.'' He reached out demandingly, squirming and nearly spilling out of his father's arms as he stretched towards his mother.

"Harry!" James said, adjusting his grip on his son. "Meet your new brother, Leon Mathew Potter!" He leaned carefully towards Lily with Harry held firmly in his arms as he let the child see his new brother. Harry looked at the baby, cooed softly and smiled, and reached out. James whirled him safely out of reach, so that he couldn't actually touch his brother. "That's right Harry! You're a big brother now." James murmured as he cuddled Harry to him, smiling at Lily, who beamed back at him, both of them relieved at how well Harry seemed to greet the newest member to the family.


	2. Chapter 1: Introduction to the family

2. Chapter 1: Introduction to the family.

Chapter Warnings: None.

Chapter Summary: Lily is uneasy about her newborn son.

If James noticed that his newborn son behaved oddly, he didn't say anything of his suspicions to Lily. He'd certainly voiced, quite loudly, his silly, and petty insecurities about how much time Lily spent writing to Severus, and why she might desire her former best friend to be first Harry's godfather, and then when James had put his foot down about that, then insisted that he was her choice for Leon, and James was overruled the second time round. It had been ranked among their worst fights, bigger even than Lily's desire James leave the aurors, and some animosity came up whenever the topic of Severus was mentioned. James gritted his teeth when Lily insisted on naming Severus Leon's godfather, and tolerated his one visit in June, near Harry's first birthday, when Severus came to see Lily and the babies, by shutting himself up in the bedroom with a glass and a bottle of Ogden's Fire-whiskey.

Lily noticed her newborn's odd behavior. She remembered Harry's birth, and she struggled to recall exactly how he'd behaved. Some things were just different with babies, she had been told by the Healer who had attended her first birth. The muggle pamphlets the doctors had given her also confirmed that. Lily tried not to worry. The fact that her second child preferred a bottle to the breast was not unusual, she was told. That he cried only when he was hungry or his nappy needed to be changed or he had wind, some sort of problem that needed to be fixed; that wasn't strange. He never just fussed like Harry had. Lily ignored that.

He slept more than Harry had too. Lily hadn't thought Harry had been a hard baby to care for. He was a happy, cheerful child and she hadn't had any major problems with him. Leon was different. Lily was convinced he had nightmares. James told her, when she confided in him, that she was being ridiculous. Leon was acting up, feeling the tension in the house; that was all. He was obviously just a bit fussier than Harry, and Lily needed to calm down and stop making problems up. Lily bit her lip and didn't tell James he was wrong, that Leon hardly fussed at all. Harry liked it when she sang him a lullaby to sleep. He slept deeply, but not for very long periods. Leon relaxed at the sound of her heartbeat, and slept many hours. Sometimes, at her worst, Lily suspected the baby was just pretending to sleep. But she knew that was crazy.

Harry cheerfully babbled, a made up baby language, but he was beginning to understand. He could say mama and dada and pa, and baba. He recognized some things when Lily explained them now. He was developing his own likes and dislikes of foods and had preferences in toys. It was a natural development. Lily never worried about Harry being odd. Getting into trouble, certainly. He was old enough to crawl, and was learning to walk. Leon, on the other hand, also had preferences. He liked mashed food, but not milk. He liked sweet food best. He preferred linen cloth to wool. He didn't like wearing nappies, although unlike Harry he never put up a fuss when she was changing him. Or when she was bathing him either. Sometimes, late at night when she couldn't sleep, and she stood outside the door to the nursery room, she could hear him babbling. And it wasn't just normal baby babbling either. He was trying to form his mouth to say sounds, to talk. In the light of day Lily could convince herself that she was imagining things. Leon was a bit unusual, but he was just highly advanced, a prodigy as James boasted.


	3. Chapter 2: Rediscovering himself

3. Chapter 2: Rediscovering himself

Chapter Warnings: None. Please remember this is all from Itachi's point of view. There are numerous things happening that he isn't aware of, or doesn't understand. I am trying to make this as realistic as I can. I would appreciate any form of notification on plot holes or unrealistic character development.

Chapter Summary: Itachi gleans some clues about his new life. The Order is introduced.

Uchiha Itachi was furious. He didn't understand how, or why, but somehow he'd been reborn, with all his memories of his past life intact. Itachi was a twenty-one year old ninja who remembered his family, his village, his life, and how he died; and he was trapped in the body of an infant. It had taken him some time to adjust. The body he was in sometimes seemed like that of a stranger's, because Itachi couldn't always control it. His limbs flailed without his consent, he couldn't control his body functions, and he was highly embarrassed by the indignity of being breast-fed. It felt wrong. He withstood the humiliation of being bathed, cleaned and fed, burped and dressed, helpless to do anything. He couldn't even talk! When everything got too frustrating, Itachi forced himself to hold his breath as long as he could, or did his best to meditate. He'd run through taijutsu stances, genjutsu and ninjutsu hand seals in his mind. He ran through mental exercises and memory games. He tried to recall trivial details about his former life. It took him around three months to learn to understand the language his new parents spoke. This was partly because he didn't get that many chances to observe them using the language in an appropriate manner; when they spoke to him or the toddler who was his older brother, they tended to speak baby-talk, which he found frustrating.

He was aware first of the atmosphere. Itachi recognized this feeling. This family was prey. The feel of fear hung in the very air around him. He slowly pieced together the clues his family provided, and his conclusions did not please him. War of some kind was happening, and his new family was part of it. His new father and mother didn't work. Much like his own clan, James seemed to be head of his family, although it was considerably smaller than the Uchiha clan. Instead, both of his parents were part of a secret organization, a rebellion. The parallels between his old life and this new one were disturbing, and Itachi had a lot of time to think.

Itachi didn't know exactly whom they were opposing. Another country? Civil unrest? Their own government? A separate fraction of their government? Were his new parents terrorists? Itachi had too many questions that he couldn't answer. Itachi couldn't even speak properly yet. And he didn't know how he felt about the situation. When he was old enough, would he choose to stand with this new family? Would he use the skills he remembered and fight on their behalf? He respected his parents, for their care and devotion. One of the things he had the most trouble with was thinking of himself as Leon. Itachi's sense of self was highly developed. He had been highly loyal to his village of Konohagakure. The only thing that trumped his loyalty to the village had been his younger brother. Sasuke was his greatest regret. He could only hope that Naruto continued to believe in his younger brother, and that the fox container would do his best to protect him. There was nothing Itachi could do for him now. Still, there was a comfort in deciding to dedicate this new life to this new younger brother. Already, he felt a bond with Harry, who was his older brother by birth. Despite the fact that he had been born first, Itachi still thought of Harry as a younger brother. He hadn't replaced Sasuke. No one could do that. But Itachi knew that already, he cared for this new boy who was his brother, connected by the blood in their bodies. This time, he'd make sure he didn't have to choose between his family and his village, his loyalty and his love.

Itachi was quite sure this was not the world he remembered. Not only was the language different, which could conceivably just mean that he was somewhere so foreign he'd never heard of it, (unlikely, but possible) but there were other clues as well. Granted, he hadn't met that many people here, but Itachi had very finely tuned senses and years of shinobi training. And there was the magic.

It was still faintly unbelievable to Itachi. Real magic, like the make-believe stories his mother had told Sasuke sometimes. He vaguely remembered stories of fairytales of witches and wizards, with staffs of power, waving their hands and creating life. Well, they fit the vaguely remembered stories to an extent. There were some differences, and a few more limitations. They used a different language for their spells. Neither James nor Lily carried a staff. They both had wands, which were a great deal smaller, similar to a kunai. James and Lily even carried them in holsters. Itachi never saw either of them without their wand. And he'd never seen either of them use their hands. Apparently a wand was needed. Also, they didn't level mountains and summon beasts. They didn't call lightning from the sky or change the weather. They didn't use magic exactly like the tales. Instead, they used it like chakra, in everyday things. Itachi was still waiting to find out if he would be able to use this ability. He saw no reason why he wouldn't. His body and blood had come from James and Lily, who both possessed the ability. His new body troubled him. As a baby, he was too young to use the knowledge in his head in constructive ways. While Itachi knew how to use chakra, he was incapable of forming seals with his fingers. Actually, he wasn't capable of doing much more than waving his hands about in the air. He couldn't even properly clench and unclench his fingers. And he had lost the physical memories of his former body. Itachi's mind flinched with embarrassment and anger at his situation, but his body didn't. He couldn't even completely control his bodily functions, let alone sense any chakra outside of his own body. While he still planned to train his body, and hopefully develop his chakra, Itachi was interested in learning what he could do with the new ability of magic.

~Break~Break~Break~Break~Break~Break~Break~Break~Break~

James was definitely from a clan used to using this magic. He used magic for every little thing. He didn't reach for objects; he summoned them with a spell. He didn't clean up a room, he flicked his wand, and dirt and dust vanished. When Harry fussed, he first tried entertaining him with spells. Brightly coloured balls of light. Little bubbles that chimed when Harry's fist collided with them. Like a ninja who reached for weapons and chakra, James Potter was a wizard who reached first for his wand and his spells. Lily Potter on the other hand, had been a civilian before she became a ninja. Well, she had grown up without magic in her youth anyway. She washed the dishes by hand. She didn't spell the mess Harry made of his face when eating clean. Instead, she wiped him clean with his bib. She used her magic, but she wasn't as lazy as her husband; she considered her magic more carefully, used it more as a tool than a simple fact of life. Itachi compared, at first without realizing it, and then later more carefully, his new family with his old. Uchiha Fugaku had been head of his clan before he was a father. Stern and short-tempered, he had high expectations of Itachi as the Uchiha clan heir. James Potter, on the other hand, simply seemed proud to be a father. He was far more carefree than Fugaku had ever been, playing with both his sons when he could. He smiled and laughed and teased and pulled pranks and practical jokes. Still, they were both proud and headstrong men who believed they knew what they were doing was right, and were willing to follow through on their beliefs no matter what the cost was. Itachi fell back into patterns of behaviour he had already learned, and he focused more on making sure his new father was pleased and unsuspecting of any strangeness of Itachi before anything else. Uchiha Mikoto and Lily Potter, on the other hand, had far more similarities in Itachi's mind. Both women were kind and gentle and cared deeply for their children. However, Mikoto had been a jounin, before she had retired from shinobi life to raise her family. Lily Potter, Itachi recognized, had the same inner strength, an ability to accept the cost for actions taken, no matter the price. Itachi admired them both, and simply felt safer with both his mothers. There was a difference, he instinctively understood, between doing what you believe in no matter what the cost turned out to be, and understanding the cost of something, and choosing to pay the price of continuing along the path one has chosen. Both Uchiha Fugaku and James Potter were of the former persuasion, and Uchiha Mikoto and Lily Potter were of the latter. And it was the latter option that Itachi himself had followed. In this manner, Itachi was more like his mothers than his fathers.

Lily Potter took Itachi and Harry to a meeting of her secret organization only once. Itachi had only recently learned to comprehend this new language, and he was still trying to figure out what his parents did. Lily Potter, he discovered this day, made potions for the Order. She was also on their active duty roster. She'd been off it for two months after Itachi had been born, but for the last month, she had disappeared for periods of time, leaving James alone to take care of Itachi and Harry. Itachi was always more careful around James. While he tried not to arouse suspicion of anything unusual in either of his parents, he was especially careful around James. He did not want James to take any undue notice of him, and possibly overshadow Harry, like Itachi had overshadowed Sasuke in his previous life. On this day, James had already gone out. He was away for large amounts of time, often coming back and acting in a manner Itachi was so familiar with that it took him some time to realize why it was unusual. James, and Lily too, were active warriors. They were actually using their magic to fight in real battles. They weren't just spies who observed, they were battle participants. Lily received a message in another room, and suddenly Itachi and Harry were being readied for travel, while Lily cursed up a storm.

They had arrived in a small house after Lily touched a pebble and used a password. Itachi had not enjoyed the sensation of travel. Neither had Harry apparently, as he immediately started fussing. Lily tried to juggle Itachi, her potion, and sooth Harry at the same time. A tired and sickly looking man with brown hair and pain-filled eyes entered the room. "Remus." Lily said, clutching tighter to Itachi and Harry, who started to whimper. Remus offered Lily a small smile, and offered to help her. Lily handed Itachi to him, and he held Itachi carefully, obviously unfamiliar with handling a baby. To Itachi's sensitive nose, he smelled of wet dog and damp. His clothes were thin and tattered, in shades of brown and grey. Together they moved out of the room Lily and her boys had appeared in, and down a dark hall to a small kitchen. Lily thrust the potion at a dark haired witch who took it quickly, murmuring a quick "Thank you Dorcus", presumably the name of the witch, and then managed to calm Harry down by jiggling him on one hip as she looked at Remus who was carefully cradling Itachi himself. The other woman thanked Lily for the potion, and hurried off. Remus invited Lily to have a cup of tea, which she accepted. It was not the ceremony Itachi was familiar with, but there was an air of formality in the preparation of making it.

Itachi did his best to take everything in while remaining as innocent as possible. Lily did not remain long, and from her uneasy looks to her children, Itachi suspected her reluctance to engage in pleasantries with the man had something to do with them, although the atmosphere between the two adults indicated they had some sort of history. Lily did not trust the man she had given Itachi too. She clutched too hard at Harry, stared too long at Itachi, and her fingers and wrist fluttered in a movement Itachi was familiar with, one that would allow her to access her wand in an instant. However, as Remus pottered around making the tea, and chatting politely to her, she calmed down, and Harry calmed with her as she sipped her tea, and soothed herself with calming talk of how her children were doing, and the latest international news on the sport James liked, a game called Quidditch.

Lily Potter was a bit paranoid about protecting her children. Itachi hadn't thought too much of it. From his own memories, his first mother Mikoto had been much the same. Itachi had been born in the time of the third ninja war, and his mother was a kunoichi of the Uchiha clan before she had decided to be become a housewife and raise her children. One did not put away all aspects of their life before beginning a new chapter. Likewise, Lily Potter's mannerisms had some similar qualities. She finished her tea quickly and left soon after she had arrived. Itachi had not had much time to observe the interactions of the others in the house. Still, from what he had gleaned, it was an atmosphere he was familiar with from his first family. Secrets and lies. Mistrust and fear. A shadowy undertaking. The Uchiha had been plotting to overthrow the hokage and betray the village. Itachi still didn't know what goal his new parents were working towards.


	4. Chapter Interlude  The Godfather

4. Interlude: The Godfather.

Chapter Warnings: None. This is an interlude. It is shorter than the previous chapter, and although it could have been left out, as this visit was mentioned previously, I have elaborated on what happened as part of the development of various characters; hopefully this will explain some of the decisions made by characters throughout the story.

Chapter Summary: Severus Snape visits Lily Potter, and meets her two children. He is introduced to his godson.

When he arrived Severus gave her two gifts, one for each of the boys. His gift for Harry was a toy rabbit, soft and wooly and spelled to help sooth him to sleep, that Harry loved instantly. It looked rather old, and Lily suspected it had once belonged to Severus himself. For Leon there was a wooden rattle, with a pureblood crest carved into the handle, also an heirloom, charmed to play a different tune depending on how it was shaken. Severus had peered uncomfortably at the two boys; Harry, who gurgled up at him and patted his leg as Severus sat perched uncomfortably on the edge of the sofa, with Harry sitting on the floor next to his foot, clutching the toy rabbit in one hand. Harry had crawled to Severus after he came in and sat on the couch. Lily insisted it was because Harry liked him. Severus scowled, and sneered, but ruffled the boy's curly black hair and let him play with fistfuls of his robes, scrunching them in his hand and pulling as he hauled himself up and then let go, to fall on his bottom, chortling with laughter, only to repeat the exercise again. Lily smiled at him, and then thrust the young baby at him. Severus tried to evade her, but he couldn't move without tumbling Harry and possibly hurting him, so he sat, stiff and still, with Leon held carefully in his arms as if he might shatter, and Harry babbling baby talk at him as he tried to eat his robes, getting baby drool all over them.

Lily and Severus didn't speak much to each other. Rather, Lily babbled a bit nervously about how much work the two babies were, and how well they were doing, and Severus mentioned some of the potions he was working on. They managed not to mention the weather, but it was a close thing. Neither of them discussed the war, James, her marriage, their broken friendship, or why Lily had chosen Severus to have such an important part in raising any of her children. Still, Severus had his suspicions. Lily might have been sorted into Gryffindor, but Severus was sure that, had she been anything other than a muggleborn, she'd have been Slytherin. She knew how dark the times were, and why it might be best to have a connection to him that none could gainsay. She never asked Severus where his loyalties lay, and he never discussed the matter with her, but she surely guessed what his choices had been. Clever, cautious Lily, doing her best to provide safety for her children, no matter what happened. Potter surely didn't have the brains to understand any of it; why Lily had chosen him. Stupid, spoiled, Gryffindor bastard that he was. Severus had no doubt that Lily was still firmly on the side of the Light, supporter of the ministry and Dumbledore. However, she wouldn't let that stop her from doing anything in her power to make sure her children survived. Just in case. Severus didn't look closely at his own reasons for agreeing to be the baby's godfather, able to have a say in his life, and possibly that of his brother's, if the mutt died.

After a short while, they both fell silent, Harry's cheerful glee with his new entertainment the only sounds in the room. Still, the silence was not uncomfortable. Neither of them had said anything of real import to each other, yet bridges had begun to mend, slights forgiven, and their friendship renewed. They were both older, and perhaps a little wiser, and in such dangerous times it was easier to let go of past hurts and live in the moment. Neither had forgotten, but now, both adults, and with Lily's children surrounding Severus, they were able to forgive each other past grievances. Lily met his eyes, and for the first time in a long time, she gave him a real smile, familiar to Severus from before their Hogwarts days, when it had been just the two of them. Severus relaxed, and smiled back at her. In his arms, Leon Potter wriggled into a more comfortable position, and placidly sucked his fist.


	5. Chapter 3: The day of change

5. Chapter 3: The day of change.

Chapter Warnings: None. Please remember this is all from Itachi's point of view. There are numerous things happening that he isn't aware of, or doesn't understand. I am trying to make this as realistic as I can. I would appreciate any form of notification on plot holes or unrealistic character development.

Chapter Summary: Itachi gleans clues about his new life. The Order is introduced.

It was now October. Itachi had finally managed to actually speak. He found it easier to speak his first language, but he diligently practiced the new language too. Harry had started to mimic him, and was occasionally speaking Japanese words, not that James or Lily had realized that. Itachi planned to teach Harry his first language when they were both a little older. He'd also try to see if Harry had any talent in taijutsu. One didn't need to use chakra to use taijutsu after all, and from what he had seen of the witches and wizards here, they didn't have any sort of hand to hand combat like it. Itachi would take any advantage he could get. Anything that would protect Harry was useful. He was not about to let his new brother die in whatever it was their parents were mixed up in. He would do anything to protect Harry. He knew their parents loved them. Itachi had even witnessed some of the spells both his parents had cast over the two of them. Some they'd cast together, some separately. Both James and Lily had on separate occasions snuck into the nursery late at night to cast secret spells on Harry and Itachi. It was of interest to note that James, for all he spoke of being a Light wizard, was the one to use blood in his protection spells, whereas Lily stuck with her specialties, charms and potions. Lily explained in soft murmurs what she did, as if the explanations themselves were charms. Her spells glowed softly, and her potions soothed his skin as she smeared liquids on Itachi. James cast spells that tingled harshly, brightly coloured flares and blood smeared onto his skin before it sunk into his flesh and vanished when Itachi was washed with his father's power. As he got older, and his parents cast more spells in his presence, Itachi was learning to feel the spells, and the level of power the caster had. He was even beginning to feel flickers of power simply from wizards and witches in the same room. Soon, he knew, he would be able to feel his parents anywhere in the house, whether they were casting spells or not. He was not there yet, but he would get there. He estimated that he would have a 'magic sense' by the time he was one. It was like feeling for chakra. It took repeated exposure and practice, but it would come with time.

~Break~Break~Break~Break~Break~Break~Break~Break~Break~

Unfortunately, although he didn't know it, time was not on something Itachi had. The spells cast on Harry and Itachi were not the Potter's only means of protection for their children. A week before, Dumbledore had suggested a powerful charm. They were now under the Fidelius charm. In a cunningly planned prank, James, working with Sirius, had decided to fool everyone into believing Sirius was the Potter's Secret Keeper, the only one capable of revealing where the Potters lived. In reality, he had chose Peter Pettigrew to be the Potter Secret Keeper. It was a grand prank in design, simple and brilliant. The only weakness was the Secret Keeper. James plan would have worked to keep his family safe if Peter had been loyal to him. Instead, Peter betrayed them to the Dark Lord, the one who wanted to kill the Potter family. He came to them on October 31st, all Hallows night, determined to foil fate, and deceive destiny. Instead, he merely laid the foundation for his own downfall.

James was the first to react as the Dark Lord destroyed the wards on their front door.

"Lily, take the boys and go! It's Him! Go! Run! I'll hold him off -."

She nodded wordlessly fled to the nursery, stumbling noisily on her way into the room. She resisted the urge to cry as she heard six sickening syllables she recognized meant her husband was dead. Lily closed the door behind her to buy a little time..

The door slammed open and Voldemort stopped, pausing at the doorway. He was evil; vile and despicable, a creature intent only on his own selfish goals, pursuing them at any cost. And he wanted to kill her child. A cackle of high-pitched laughter filled the air.

Lily sought to by herself some more time. Surely, if she could delay long enough, she could escape this situation with her children alive!

"Not Harry, not Harry, please not Harry!" she begged. If this would spare her son, she'd get down on her knees, Gryffindor pride be damned.

"Stand aside you silly girl… stand aside now." He said wand lifted in the direction of the crib in which both Harry and Leon were. Why had she put them both in the same cot? At any moment, one curse could take them both out. She hated herself for thinking it, for even considering for a moment considering one above the other. But Leon had not been mentioned in the prophecy. Out of all of them, he had the best chance for survival. Lily would go down fighting for both her sons, she'd lay down her life for them in an instant, but in the back of her mind a ruthless murmur voiced terrible ideas, and Lily began a gamble to save what she could.

"Promise me! Promise you won't touch Leon! He's nothing to you. Nothing to do with any of it. Severus is his godfather. Swear on your magic you won't harm him!" Lily demanded, as if she were bartering. As if she knew Severus was one of his own, and that she thought he cared about his followers and their families. As if she was considering choosing one of her babies above the other. Voldemort paused. Now that it seemed he had a chance to persuade her to step aside, he lowered his wand slightly. Lily stepped forward, and slightly turned her body, as if she was on the verge of being persuaded to stand aside. She was still shielding the cot with her body.

"You do not have to die this night." He murmured. "And this is a small thing to offer." He paused, then spoke again more clearly. "Very well. I shall show you I can be reasonable. Let it not be said I did not uphold my promises. I swear on my magic no harm will come to your youngest son by my hand or wand or magic." Lily felt the pressure of magic being called on, felt it tighten around Voldemort, holding him to his promise; his very nature would turn against him if he tried to go back on his sworn word. His magic would rise up and tear him apart. It was the best she could do for her youngest, most defenseless child. She darted a quick look at Leon. He was sitting up in the cot, watching with unblinking eyes, the same hazel-brown as his father. Beside him, Harry lay tucked in his blankets. He fussed unhappily, sensitive to the tense atmosphere in the room.

Voldemort motioned for her to step aside, and tried to offer reassurance that she was doing the right thing in sacrificing her eldest child. "Severus will be most pleased." He said. It was a blow to Lily to hear her worst fears confirmed. She hadn't truly known Severus was a Death Eater. One of the loyal servants he had seduced with false promises. She hadn't wanted to either. And yet, he'd said that as if praising a stupid pet that had done a smart thing. Had tried to offer her comfort, as if letting one son die so that the other might live was something she should be rewarded for! Her blood boiled. The despicable creature continued. "He asked me not to kill you, you know." No, she hadn't known that. It didn't surprise her however. They'd been very close before Hogwarts. Even during their time there, until that awful day, their bond had been strong, if unusual. Not many had understood that they could be so at odds, and yet still feel so close. Neither Lily nor Severus had tried to explain to anyone either. It must have seemed to others that they'd drifted apart, that their feelings for each other, begun in innocent friendship as children, had grown distant and faint as they made separate choices during school, and then had turned to such radical extreme opposites as adults.

Lily was fiercely glad, in that instant, because she knew, in the depths of her soul, that if Voldemort destroyed her tonight, that at least one person would take revenge for her. And she was just as certain that Voldemort would never see it coming. For an instant, she wondered wildly if that was the secret power he knew not. The friendship and loyalty Severus felt for her. That her son possessed the power to make certain Severus destroyed him forever.

To distract herself from foolishly boasting about his certain defeat, or her even crazier theory about the prophecy, Lily did what her Gryffindor spirit had been yearning to do ever since he'd stepped across the threshold of her house. Lily raised her wand and shifted defiantly, shielding her children with her body.

Voldemort stared at her, seemingly surprised at her new defiance. Lily tried once more to reason with him. "Not Harry, please no, take me, kill me instead -" Her voice faltered as she made the offer, but she meant it with every fiber of her being.

"Not Harry! Please… have mercy… have mercy…" She looked Voldemort in the eye, and her voice trailed off. There was no mercy to be found in the creature before her. Her begging had been a waste of breath.

Voldemort began to laugh in a shrill voice, and Lily screamed, a cry that began of frustration and despair, rage and fear. Voldemort did not bother to even speak the incantation this time. There was simply a blinding green flash. Lily was bathed in the deadly green light, and Harry, directly behind her, was caught in it an instant after his mother.

~Break~Break~Break~Break~Break~Break~Break~Break~Break~

Itachi watched on in helpless horror, unable to do anything as his family was attacked. Like Lily and Harry, he heard the last words James spoke, and like Lily, immediately understood the situation. Itachi saw his mother gaze at him, and in that instant realized she was far more aware of his abnormalities than he had suspected. She knew he was different. Other. Yet she still loved him, was willing to do whatever it took to protect because he was her child, and she would do anything for him. He watched silently as Lily begged for Harry's life, and as she managed to get the man attacking them to swear he would not harm Itachi, he wished furiously and helplessly that he were older, and able to do something. To speak, to move. Something more than be able to sit up and watch helplessly as once again his world came apart. And this time he could not even influence events. There is a reason it takes children time to develop rational thought, and to understand the world around them. The sense of haplessness Itachi felt that night, unable, as much as any other six month old babe, to do anything, but unlike any other, aware of his own inadequacies, changed him. Itachi listened as his mother spoke of the man who had visited them once; dressed in black, with black hair, swallow skin and dark eyes, he had been the closest any had come to looking familiar to Itachi. Even his behaviour, stiff, formal and polite, with a biting wit, had been something familiar to Itachi. Both she and the man attacking them seemed to believe he was a follower of this man, which was surprising to Itachi. He hadn't thought that his mother was the sort who would have trusted such a man, who would be much like a missing-nin in his old life, with either of her sons. But the man attacking them confirmed it. Itachi, in a position to watch both his mother and the man she was shielding himself and his brother from, saw her body language. She was hurt, but unsurprised by the man's confirmation that Severus, his godfather, was this man's follower. As he continued his monologue though, Itachi saw his mother gain confidence. Apparently she thought that whatever loyalty to the man Severus had would end with her death. Itachi, remembering the intensity of both his mother and Severus when they had been together, didn't doubt it either. The man loved her above all others. Like a Konoha shinobi felt about the Hokage. If his mother died this night, he would probably devote his life to bringing this man down. Like Itachi had devoted himself to bringing down Madara, and protecting Sasuke. Already, Itachi was thinking of the man as a potential ally.

Itachi was shinobi. He knew the odds were against his mother surviving. Indeed, the odds were against any of his new family surviving. Itachi wondered if this was a punishment for his last life. How ironic that he should be forced to endure the slaughter of this new family, after he had been ordered to destroy his old one. He had made a deal with one of the founders of his Clan to kill everyone except his little brother and then join him in a group that existed to harness the weapon the former Hokage of his village had created with his own life, the jinchuuriki, called Uzumaki Naruto. A weapon Itachi suspected many in his village would die to protect. Even Sasuke had close ties to that monster. Madara had struck a demon's bargin with Itachi to join a group who would be killing the very people he had been sworn, as a Konoha shinobi, and as member of the Uchiha clan, to protect. Itachi had done the best he could in bad circumstances then. He had, at the price of his clan, protected the most special person in his life. He had never regretted that choice. He had regretted, faintly, the cost, but he thought, if he had been able to explain, his mother would have understood. Now, powerless even to make a bargin with a demon, all he could do was watch, remember, and wait. He turned his attention away from his mother, and focused totally on his new enemy.

His mother made her last plea, obviously already knowing it was useless. In his mind, Itachi thought of both his parents as civilians. Civilians with power, but they were not trained killers, as he had been. In his old life, Itachi had not had any use for civilians. Indeed, he had given them little thought. He had dismissed them as insignificant, weak and usually not at all useful. Still, Itachi did not think of his mother as someone weak, or despise her for her shortcomings. She was a strong woman in her own way, and Itachi respected her. He would remember her death, and, if they both lived, tell his brother that she had fought with love and pride, and that they should honor and respect both of their parents for their sacrifice. He would make sure that she was not forgotten, that her memory would live on through her children, that they would live their lives as befitted the children of such a noble woman.

Itachi heard high, cold, cruel laughter as with a flick of the man's wand, his mother Lily Potter was bathed in a brilliant green light, and Harry an instant after her. Still, as Itachi well knew, a lot can happen in an instant. Itachi, despite being present, and mentally alert, was not able to fully see or understand what happened. In the years to come, he would mourn the fact that he could not access his Sharingan at this moment quite a few times. Lily was struck first with the green light and instantly died. Less than a second later, Harry was awash in the same deadly green glow. However, instead of dying, as everyone in the room expected, Harry began to cry as his body responded to pain stimulus, and the green glow reflected back at the man who had cast the spell at him. Itachi watched as it struck the man, whose body fell apart, rather like a shadow clone; a puff of smoke swirling upwards as the body simply dissolved into nothing. The green light lashed out in all directions, as if angry that it had no target, and the room began to disintegrate around Itachi and Harry.


	6. Chapter 4: The aftermath

**6. Chapter 4: The aftermath. **

Chapter Warnings: Please note that some dialogue and wording is taken directly from the books. Other parts are paraphrased. Also, from research related directly to the cannon series, there is a period of between twelve and twenty-four hours during which there is no reliable evidence to tell readers exactly where Harry Potter was. Thus, in this chapter I am making up my own version. As IReadNoNonsense has not addressed this particular point, for a couple of chapters, in order to maintain the seriousness of this story, I shall be adding in 'extra' chapters that are not direct chapters from IReadNoNonsense's story, but are chapters I feel are necessary to provide information and character development to uphold the continuity and seriousness of this story.

Chapter Summary: What happens after Voldemort disappears, and before the Potter boys arrive at Privet Drive.

Itachi watched the house crumbling down around the cot. His brother continued to cry; he was obviously injured. A cut on his forehead, shaped like a bolt of lightning, bled sluggishly, the skin around the cut red and inflamed. For a child of one and a half, it was likely the first time he had been injured so severely, and in pain without someone to comfort him immediately. Itachi did not blame him for crying, although he probably had no idea just how awful their situation was. For a while, all Itachi did was stare at the body of their dead mother. Once he wrenched his eyes away from the gruesome sight however, he made sure that he did not look at her again. They stayed together in the cot, helpless and unable to escape, all alone until Itachi heard someone carefully making their way through the wreckage towards them. A very large man, larger even than Kisame had been, standing at about twelve feet tall, came and took them away from the crumbling house. He held them carefully, and did his clumsy best to evade the people who had come to see what was happening. He used a pink umbrella to silence their presence, so he was a magic user, but apart from that, Itachi knew nothing of him, except that he was gentle in his handling of them, and protective and careful of them. He wanted to protect them, and despite his appalling accent, that Itachi had trouble understanding, his murmured comments were sympathetic and kindly meant.

Suddenly the man lurched to a stop, and brought his arms further up, instinctively offering more protection to the two children he was holding. From the darkness, a figure emerged. "Hagrid!" Itachi recognized that voice. He had heard it many times. It was Sirius, Harry's godfather. Perhaps he was here to claim them? He was most distraught, and the newly named Hagrid tried to comfort him. "Let me take them! Harry is my godson after all." Sirius roused himself. It was clear to Itachi that the man was focusing on them so as not to think of the events that had already occurred. His moods, which had always been wild and energetic, seemed now almost manic. Itachi was uneasy at the idea of Sirius taking himself and Harry. He did not seem ready to be responsible for them. On the other hand, the only other person available right now was Hagrid, a stranger. Sirius seemed shell shocked and dazed. He kept stopping in the middle of his sentences, words trailing off, and his motions were sharp and awkward. This was a standard civilian response. Yet he had been part of the shadow group and their secret fight. Itachi wondered once again if there was anything even remotely like a ninja village in this world. So far everyone seemed to be incredibly naïve for people caught in a war. Itachi had been expecting this, but it was still unsettling. He lay still and kept his senses as open as possible.

"Dumbledore asked me to take 'em somewhere safe." Hagrid protested. Itachi recognized the name. Dumbledore was the leader of his parents secret group. Sirius looked upset, but as he was also a member, he apparently trusted this Dumbledore person, and he didn't make any other protests. Instead he offered transport in the form of a flying motorcycle.

Hagrid protested, but Sirius insisted he take it, saying "I won't need it anymore."

He helped Hagrid secure Itachi and Harry safely on the bike, kissed them both and stepped back. Hagrid straddled the great bike himself, and the three of them, as unbelievable as that seemed, took off.

~Break~Break~Break~Break~Break~Break~Break~Break~Break~

They flew for quite a while high in the sky, through clouds and over them, in crystal clear air. They landed roughly near what appeared to be a safe house, and Itachi looked around. It had taken nearly two hours to get to, if Itachi was still able to judge time correctly, and the sun had started to rise before they reached their destination. The large man had taken them to a cottage that was apparently in the middle of nowhere. It was a barren place, and the very air felt wild and empty. The atmosphere was crisp and clean, although chilly, and the air a bit thin. Inside the small house, a fire burned cheerfully in a small fireplace, and the air was warm. Hagrid set about making sure Harry and Itachi were fine, and then started to make breakfast. Hagrid made sure Itachi was fine frequently, and played with Harry, who was rather fretful and a bit fussy. As much as he had distained the clumbsy and emotional man at first, Itachi soon realized that he was really gentle and kind-hearted, if a bit simple. It confirmed his suspicion that he was the better choice to watch over Itachi and Harry. Sirius was too implusive and reckless. They would not have been either safe or adequately cared for by the man. So, with thoughts like these in his head, Harry warm and well fed, and his own stomach full, Itachi took this time to sleep. They were safe for the moment.

In the afternoon, Hagrid took them on the bike once more, this time to a city, where the air was warmer, and there were many people around. At their destination, Itachi and Harry were poked and prodded, and washed in magic waved by the wands of a group of wizarding people until someone Itachi could only guess was the equivalent of head medic deemed them fine. Itachi paid close attention, and did not like what was happening. The medics who looked them over handled them reverently, as if they were worthy of worship. Their shop-talk was not largely comprehensible to Itachi. Partly because they used the spell language he didn't yet understand, and partly because their words for injuries were not shinobi coded, but civilian medic coded. Not only that, but because the language was different, the codes were different, and Itachi simply did not have the language tools available to him to understand what they meant. By the end of the examination Itachi wished Hagrid was the only one who was taking care of them. He was large and had coarse manners, but his kindness and care were genuine, and he did not make Itachi feel unduly uneasy. He was the one who had figured out that Itachi (and after Itachi began, Harry) fussed when taken out of sight of his brother. Itachi was determined that he not be separated from his brother now. Whenever they were put down, he would wriggle and cry until Harry was by his side. He was the only family Itachi had left, and Itachi was determined stay with him to protect him.

Eventually Itachi and Harry fell asleep, exhausted once more. Itachi suspected some sort of charm to make them sleep, but he had to admit he was not certain. His infant body demanded many hours of sleep as it slowly grew stronger and bigger, and Itachi could not ignore this body's demands as successfully as he had done his older body in the past. When he awoke, Hagrid was picking up Harry. Itachi immediately began to wail. Having already learnt that in order to stop Itachi (and also to prevent Harry from joining in) he must be picked up, Hagrid scooped him up awkwardly. He peered down at Itachi through his bristly hair, and murmured soothingly.

"You're not supposed to take him too." Whined one of the medics. Hagrid looked over at the medic and scowled. He disliked them as much as Itachi did, if for different reasons. The medics had been snooty and impolite, constantly speaking to Hagrid as if he was slow, stupid and unintelligent. Itachi, after only having met him a short time ago, could tell he was not stupid. The medics though, hid behind their intellect because they were intimidated by Hagrid's physical size. They were the ones lacking in intelligence, Itachi had decided. He was stressed and uncomfortable, far from anything he knew. It made him cross and irritable, and he didn't like these stupid people who kept examining them. While the first tests had been necessary, Itachi had been watching them very closely, and he had seen that for the last hour at least, they had simply been recasting the same spells again and again, as if they would get different results if they cast long enough.

"Dumbledore'll know what to do." Hagrid declared loudly. With that, ignoring the fluttering of the medic behind him, he took Itachi and Harry, who had woken up during the commotion, outside. It was night again, so Itachi and Harry must have been sleeping on and off for the better part of a day, amidst all the spells and check ups. Hagrid clambered back on the motorcycle, and off they went.

The low rumbling sound of the motorcycle's engine soon sent Harry off to sleep again. Itachi however, remained awake. Soon enough they landed again. This time they landed on a very civilian looking street. All the houses stood in neat rows, looking nearly identical. The streetlights were out, but Itachi suspected that was not usually the case. It was unlike anything Itachi had ever seen. Houses so big, yet so similar, were unlike anything he'd ever witnessed in the Five Great Shinobi Nations. The architecture of houses, the design and artwork, colours and styles, even some of the materials used here; everything was so different. It had all helped Itachi to work out that he had not simply been reborn within the lands he knew, but at the same time, living as he had with James and Lily Potter, hidden away from the rest of the world, he had not experienced the full differences between his old world and this new one. It all felt very strange to him. Exotic, and unusual.

"Hagrid," came a relieved greeting. "At last. And where did you get that motorcycle?"

"Borrowed it, Professor Dumbledore, sir," replied Hagrid, climbing carefully off the motorcycle as he spoke. "Young Sirius Black lent it to me. I've got them, sir."

"No problems were there? Them?" Dumbledore replied, the last a bit sharply. So. This was Dumbledore, the head of the secret organization that had gotten his parents killed. He reminded Itachi of the Sandaime Hokage. However, unlike the leader of his former village, Itachi did not trust or serve this man loyally, nor, he thought, would he ever do so. Itachi might still think of himself as a weapon, but he would not be this man's tool. Not when his goals had lead to Itachi and his brother being orphans.

"No, sir – house was almost destroyed, but I got 'em out all right before the Muggles started swarmin' around. Harry fell asleep as we was flyin' over Bristol, the little tyke, but little Leon's still awake." Hagrid replied.

"Very well. But why did you bring them both?" Dumbledore asked.

"Well, you're wantin' teh leave them with family, yeah?" Hagrid replied.

" Yes." Dumbledore nodded carefully. "It is my intention to leave young Harry with his Muggle family, where he will be protected from any wishing to do him harm. In this house he can grow up, as I explained to Professor McGonagall here, without the burden of fame he would experience in our own world." Dumbledore nodded at the woman, Professor McGonagall, as he spoke.

"Er, yeah. Okay." Hagrid nodded. "'It's just, Harry and Leon start cryin' whenever they're separated. Can't leave one of 'em alone without the other one cryin' on and on. So, I had to bring 'em both." Hagrid explained his reason for bringing them both.

Dumbledore frowned at him. "Really, my dear boy, I am sure it is safer for them both if they are separated now. Please, give Leon to me." He said firmly.

Hagrid shrugged, and handed Itachi over. Even before he had finished, Itachi had started crying and thrashing as loudly as possible, and sure enough, he managed to wake Harry up too, after Itachi's flailing fist knocked against his brother, and he began to cry as well. Dumbledore tried to sooth Itachi, but he soon admitted defeat. Itachi went back into Hagrid's arms with Harry, and he ceased crying. When Itachi stopped, Harry soon stopped as well.

"It seems our decision has been made for us." Dumbledore said. "Ah my oh my. It is just as well, I suppose. I am sure they will both grow up here rather better off than if they had been separated, and young Leon raised in our own world." McGonagall snorted, and Hagrid smiled wildly. She bent to look at the two boys in Hagrid's arms.

"Is that where -." Whispered Professor McGonagall.

"Yes," said Dumbledore. "He'll have that scar forever."

"Couldn't you do something about it, Dumbledore?"

"Even if I could, I wouldn't. Scars can come in handy. I have one myself above my left knee that is a perfect map of the London Underground. Well – give them here, Hagrid – we'd better get this over with." Dumbledore took both boys into his arms and turned towards the house.

"Could I – could I say good-bye to them, sir?" asked Hagrid. He bent his great, shaggy head over Harry and Itachi and gave them each a very scratchy, whiskery kiss. Then, suddenly, Hagrid let out a howl like a wounded dog.

"Shhh!" hissed Professor McGonagall, "you'll wake the Muggles!"

"S-s-sorry," sobbed Hagrid, taking out a large, spotted handkerchief and burying his face in it. "But I c-c-can't stand it – Lily an' James dead – an' poor little Harry and Leon off 'ter live with Muggles –"

"Yes, yes, it's all very sad, but get a grip on yourself, Hagrid, or we'll be found," Professor McGonagall whispered, patting Hagrid gingerly on the arm as Dumbledore stepped over the low garden wall and walked to the front door. He laid Harry and Leon gently on the doorstep, took a letter out of his cloak, tucked it inside Harry's blankets, and then, after giving his wand a quick flick, went back to the other two. For a full minute the three of them stood and looked at the bundle; Hagrid's shoulders shook, Professor McGonagall blinked furiously, and the twinkling light that usually shone from Dumbledore's eyes seemed to have gone out.

"Well," said Dumbledore finally, "that's that. We've no business staying here. We may as well go and join the celebrations."

"Yeah," said Hagrid in a very muffled voice, "I'll be takin' Sirius his bike back. G'night, Professor McGonagall – Professor Dumbledore, sir." Wiping his streaming eyes on his jacket sleeve, Hagrid swung himself onto the motorcycle and kicked the engine into life; with a roar it rose into the air and off into the night.

"I shall see you soon, I expect, Professor McGonagall," said Dumbledore, nodding to her. Professor McGonagall blew her nose in reply. Dumbledore turned and walked back down the street. Itachi listened to his footsteps retreat. The streetlights flickered on, and suddenly the street simply felt emptier.

Itachi knew that once again he and Harry were alone. He was a bit incredulous actually. The old man had actually left two young babies on a doorstep! And neither Hagrid nor the woman had stopped him. The collective lack of commonsense and utter ruthlessness appalled him. If this was an example of the usual practices of wizards, he hardly wanted anything to do with them. Itachi shifted to look at Harry. He was already asleep again, unnaturally fast, one small hand curled around the letter beside him, and the other touching Itachi's chest. Itachi curled up beside his brother, pressing as closely as he could, and without his permission his eyes closed and his mind slipped from conscious thought into sleeping dreams. In a few hours time he and Harry would be woken Mrs. Dursley's scream as she opened the front door to put out the milk bottles. Harry and Itachi would spend the next few weeks being prodded and pinched by their cousin Dudley, and the rest of their time at the Dursley house would not be the happy home Dumbledore hoped for when he left them on the doorstep.

Author's note: Thank you to reviewers who caught the spelling mistake in the previous chapter. It has now hopefully been changed correctly.


	7. Interlude: Welcome to Privet Drive

**7. Interlude: Welcome to Privet Drive. **

Chapter Warnings: None. This chapter explains the writer's beliefs on why Petunia Dursley acted as she did. They are not confirmed cannon fact, simply how the writer has chosen to portray the character of Petunia Dursley in this story.

Chapter Summary: Why Petunia Dursley accepted her nephews into her home.

When Petunia Dursley did find her two nephews wrapped in a blanket and left on her doorstep, the first thing she did was scream. The second thing she did was stop, looking around for any neighbor who might have witnessed her momentary shock. Seeing no one, she examined the two boys more thoroughly. The first thing she noticed was that they were both asleep. The second thing was the letter. Petunia carefully extracted it from Harry's fist without waking him, and opened it. The longer she read, the grimmer her face became. It told her exactly why her infant nephews were left on her doorstep, and why she had been chosen to take care of the two boys. Petunia was not the only one who had let the loving relationship the two girls had shared as children fall into the complicated mess it had become. Now Lily was dead, and there was nothing Petunia could do about that. However, she did have a choice to make. Magic had always made Petunia uncomfortable. It was unnatural, chaotic and crazy, dazzling and insidious. There were reasons, Petunia acknowledged in her own head, why magic might have called more to Lily's soul than her own. And here were her two boys, the children Lily had died protecting, and Petunia was sure, absolutely without doubt, that they both possessed their mother's unnatural ability. She had no proof of this, but nothing would persuade her otherwise. Petunia did not want this kind of unnaturalness in her life. She had cut her ties, burned her bridges, and steeled her heart. She'd done so most thoroughly too. Yet. Petunia remembered before. When it had been just Tuney and Lily, and they hadn't known about anything that could drive them apart so thoroughly they both denied they were sisters. The heart is a complicated thing. Petunia loved Lily. Had always loved her sister, even when she hated her too. And she knew her feelings had been mirrored in her sister. Now she was dead. Lily was gone, and Petunia knew she would not ever be able to grieve for her sister properly. Petunia knew love. She knew hatred. Most of all, Petunia knew duty, and penance. This was her duty to take, to care for her sister's children. This was Petunia's penance. She would do it, would take the boys in and offer her house and her blood as their protection. That was duty. Penance was watching them grow, these sons of Lily. However, that was all Petunia owed, and that was all she would do. She might have loved her sister, but these children, spawn of a wizard who had seduced her sister away into a world she could not enter forever, with the magic she hated, running through their veins? She did not owe them anything more. For Lily, and because they were blood, she would take them in, and offer her protection. That was all.

It didn't take her long after she had finished reading the letter to make her decision. It was not one she ever regretted. Petunia would, throughout her life, become bitter and unhappy, and she would have many regrets. This was not one of them. She picked up the two boys off her doorstep and went quietly back inside. She settled them in the downstairs playpen, and went to the kitchen to make breakfast for her husband as she began to consider how she would explain this to him. She also began to tally costs in her head, trying to work out how an extra two children, with the many expenses they incurred, would stress the small family's budget, and their time. Babies and small children are expensive things. They require clothes, food, bottles, toys, cribs, and a plethora of miscellaneous items that are costly. Also, they require time. In this regard, Petunia was quite lucky. Harry was nearly the same age as Dudley, and could share most of his things for a while. Leon, on the other hand, would require a bit more. Petunia would have to see what she had not yet gotten rid of. Over the next few years, a shadow of the worry Lily had experienced would whisper across her mind. Unlike her sister, Petunia did not love her nephews. She would brush her doubts aside, and ignore the whispers. Anything odd she saw in Leon Potter she would blame on magic.

It was for this reason that Harry and Leon Potter grew up in a very unconventional way. Their guardians did not care enough about them to notice their peculiarities unless they directly influenced their own lives in a negative manner. This negligence was quickly seized as the opportunity it was by the younger Potter boy; he also showed his brother how their guardians' negligence might benefit them both. The boys grew up neglected and alone, shaping their lives their own way.

Before the boys came into her life, Petunia had been considering extra training once Dudley was old enough to go to prep, and then when he started school, a job of her own. With two extra children to take care of, she knew she would have to bury that longing inside her. Vernon would never agree. Not with three boys and her husband to care for. It was a dream she would have to set aside. Inside her heart, Petunia's bitterness grew with every new cost she and her husband would pay for the burden of accepting their nephews into their lives.

Author's note: Please be aware that interludes are meant to be short parts of a story that do not fit into the main chaptered story, and for this reason they do not have the same length as chapters. This means that they are small parts, and as they are not 'real' chapters, it would be appreciated if readers do not suggest that more be added to them so that they become longer chapters.


	8. Chapter 5: What happened next

**8. Chapter 5: What happened next. **

Chapter Warnings: Descriptions of child neglect and non-graphic abuse, mostly implicit.

Chapter Summary: How Harry and Leon grew up with the Dursleys. This chapter is a good deal longer than usual. It is most an explanation of many things that the original story explains briefly, if at all, and is the last chapter before I continue with the chapters IReadNoNonsense wrote.

Leon and Harry had grown up mostly neglected, except when the Dursleys wanted something done or they called attention to themselves. When they had first arrived, Petunia had let them share Dudley's room. However, once Dudley was old enough to speak in sentences, he had insisted that he didn't want to share with the other two boys. Leon and Harry had been moved to the cupboard under the stairs. This had lasted nearly a year before Petunia and Vernon finally broke down and admitted that keeping the two boys in the closet wasn't a feasible long-term arrangement. If there had only been one… However, there were two boys, and they simply didn't fit. It was still used as one of the Dursleys punishments though. While Leon didn't appear to mind being shut in the cupboard, Harry absolutely loathed it.

They had both been put in the spare room that had originally been used as a storage room. A simple cheap bunk bed had been bought when Leon was three and Harry was four and a half, because that was the age Petunia had decided Leon wouldn't fall out of a big bed. Until then, he had slept in the basinet first used for Dudley as a baby that hadn't been thrown out before the Potters brothers arrived. Harry had slept in the cot Dudley had broken. Even when he was clearly too old for it, Petunia had done nothing until Leon had outgrown the basinet so much that when she tried to put him in it one day it simply broke. After that she threw out the cot and basinet and got them the bunk bed, but it had been grudgingly done, and the bed had been bought second hand at a garage sale. In the mean time, they had slept on the floor. Many things Dudley broke or grew board of found their way to that room, because the Dursleys still thought of the room as a storage room. Dudley's first desk had been installed there after he broke it when he was six, as had a rather ugly bookcase Vernon's sister Marge had given Vernon the Christmas Dudley was four. There was also a rather rickety chair Dudley broke during a temper tantrum when he was seven. Many of his defective and broken toys ended up in that room, as well as other miscellaneous furniture the Dursleys had no use for; broken or unattractive gifts they could not throw away. Even though the boys had lived in that room for years, there was not much in the room that was theirs. They did however, quickly learn to scavenge and repair things that ended up in their room. They could not salvage or fix everything, and they saved their efforts for things they could use.

There were many rules in the Dursley house. When things were broken, Harry and Leon Potter were punished. Harry and Leon had first snuck downstairs together to get something to eat after everyone had gone to sleep and Harry and Leon had been sent to bed without dinner for failing to complete all their chores that day, Vernon had installed several locks on the outside of their door after they had been caught. Being sent to their room without food was one of the Dursleys favorite punishments, and it was a frequent one, as was adding on extra chores to their regular ones. When Harry managed to wind up on top of the roof at school one day when Leon was kept behind by a teacher, bars were added to the window of their room, installed by Vernon, who was absolutely furious. At first Harry had tried to deny that they had caused the strange incidents, but that simply made Uncle Vernon even more furious. He learned, by following Leon's example, to apologize, make up a reasonable, or at least feasible, excuse for their actions, and to accept their punishment with as little fuss as possible. Leon was very good at it, and hardly ever punished by Uncle Vernon. Harry, on the other hand, got worked up at the injustice. This might also have been because he wasn't as good as Leon at making up reasonable stories on the fly. Harry had a bit of smart mouth, and was very independent. He and Uncle Vernon didn't get on at all, and Harry offered the man no respect, and received none in return. Harry got better at lying as he got older, but he had an honest soul, and it took him time to learn to lie convincingly. He wasn't able to simply not care, like his brother seemed able to do, about how unfair everything was. No matter how hard the Dursleys tried to belittle him and put them down, Harry remained defiant. The cat flap was added when Harry turned his teacher's hair blue, as punishment for the prank, which Harry at first denied doing, and then when his brother stepped forward to shoulder the blame, instantly admitted to causing. He wasn't actually a child who thought about pranking people, probably because Dudley pulled malicious pranks on his cousins all the time, and Harry and Leon were always the ones who suffered. Usually they suffered twice, because after the prank it was always Harry and Leon who were punished, not Dudley. Harry got the strap for that one.

Uncle Vernon, Leon reminded Harry later as he applied a soothing cream Harry's backside in their room, was unreasonable and irrational and not that intelligent. Harry himself would have used words like big, fat and stupid to describe his uncle, but his younger brother liked to use big, adult words to explain things, even when they both meant exactly the same thing. Harry himself had an advanced vocabulary for his age, but this was not because he loved learning. He'd learned in self-defense, merely to keep up with his younger brother. It made him feel stupid when he didn't know what Leon meant, which pushed him to learn the words himself, although he hardly ever used them. It was not the first time Leon had reminded Harry of their Uncle's flaws, nor would it be the last time they had that particular conversation. It was not the only time they had to take care of each other's physical wounds either. Leon's relationship with their Uncle was more complicated. As they got older, and Harry got into more and more trouble, as his magic acted up, it contrasted sharply with Leon's respectful, quiet manner, and lack of active magic in the Dursley household. Vernon was gruff with Leon, but more inclined to simply ignore him. Leon simply didn't aggravate him by existing, as Harry seemed to do. Petunia, on the other hand, was steadfast and equal in her treatment of both boys.

Harry was not unintelligent, but he did not favor intellectual pursuits. Harry preferred to go out and do things. He learned best by doing things. After their first disaster in trying to sneak out and get some food, when they'd both been caught, Leon and Harry had learned, through trial and error, how to unpick the locks and maneuver the deadbolts on their door, and then how to sneak to the kitchen without making a sound. Leon was better at it, but Harry wasn't bad either. Leon wasn't above sharing his tricks in how to be silent and sneaky either. They were very close. Harry was very protective of Leon, but the same was true of the younger Potter brother. They both had an interesting set of skills. While they were both very young, Leon had taught Harry their very own secret language. He'd also made up a series of hand signals and body language they could use too. They made a game of insulting the Dursley family as much as they could together without letting the family see them moving their hands and bodies. Leon usually won, because eventually Harry would break down in giggles. Leon could keep a straight face forever. He was good at lots of things like that, but Harry never thought to question him about his habits and skills, and he was the only one who was close enough to Leon Potter to know them.

Leon and Harry both learned how to steal things early on. While Harry had at first been uncertain, Leon had been very persuasive and convincing in his arguments for why they had a right to steal food from the Dursleys. While Leon was also content to steal things from shops and other people as well, Harry insisted, after he found out what Leon was doing, that he stop. It was wrong, Harry insisted. Leon had simply looked at him, bemused and uncomprehending. It was one of their biggest differences, Harry knew. Sometimes it seemed that Leon didn't know right from wrong. Harry had to tell him and show him and, sometimes, just make him promise not to do or say things. If Leon promised Harry something, he kept that promise. He never broke his promises to Harry. Leon lied all the time to everyone except Harry. Harry knew it was his responsibility to take care of Leon, to tell him right from wrong, and why. While Leon listened to Harry, and kept his promises, Harry knew that he wasn't able to explain a lot of things to Leon that he needed to have explained to him. Like why stealing was wrong, or why they couldn't just run away and live by themselves. Harry knew that his little brother was smarter than he was, even when he did get dumb ideas, but that was ok. Leon was smarter than everyone.

He never had any trouble with understanding anything at school. He'd moved up to Harry and Dudley's grade because he was that smart. Harry knew he could probably go higher if he wanted to, but he also knew Leon wouldn't. Leon was in their grade because that was where Harry was. Leon always followed Harry because that was how they were. Except when Harry was following Leon. Leon helped Harry not to get into so much trouble with the adults, and they both helped each other survive the Dursleys and in return Harry made sure that the adults didn't get that funny look in their eyes that meant they thought there was something wrong with his little brother. He taught Leon how to act like everyone else expected a little boy to act, sometimes just through example, but other times he deliberately tried to explain things. If that failed, he simply did his best to cover for his brother. Persuasive speeches were not something Harry was naturally gifted at, and he struggled with his inability to explain to Leon things he instinctively knew; core concepts he simply understood, without knowing why. Harry was born with an innate moral compass and very good instincts; he simply knew right from wrong in general terms. Leon, on the other hand, seemed to barely understand morals. It was Harry's job to draw the lines for his brother, which he did to the best of his ability. It made him more apt to following rules, in order to set an example for his brother, even though that was not his first natural reaction.

Leon liked to learn. He read any book he could get, and when he'd discovered other languages at school, he'd set about learning them as best he could. There was French and German and Italian and Chinese and Japanese at the local library, and French and Italian at school. He'd been even more excited when he discovered the language tapes, and had taken it on himself to fix Dudley's cassette walkman, on which he liked to listen to the tapes for hours at night. Harry had no interest in other languages except for their secret language and their hand language. Leon bullied him into learning how to write their secret language, but that was all. In the end, Harry had to admit it was worth learning, because they had the ability to pass notes in class and even if they were caught, no one was able to read it anyway. Besides, Leon had insisted they do it the right way, and had taught Harry to write it using paintbrushes. Leon also became excited when he read about martial arts in a book from the school library. He insisted on borrowing all the books on the subject he could, and then made Harry practice with him. He also taught Harry how to meditate. He claimed he learned from his books, and Harry didn't know enough to contradict him. In this way, he was able to build his own chakra, and guide an unsuspecting Harry, in the physical and mental training of the body and mind that built up the fitness required of a shinobi's body.

It had been a relief to him when he had first been able to sense chakra, but he had still had many fears. One of which was his ability to access it. He was sure he no longer had his clan's bloodline ability. Neither James Potter nor his wife Lily had ever displayed any evidence that they were of the Uchiha clan. It was highly unlikely that the body he was in now would ever access the sharingan ability. He could think of no way, even with magic, to gain it. The ability was lost to him, and he would simply have to adapt. As Itachi, he could not remember much of the time before he activated the ability at age eight. As Leon, he doubted he would ever have it.

As the years passed, it grew easier to accept and acknowledge that Itachi had been, well, nearly a different person. As he grew older, he mourned the body he had left behind, older and harder and well trained, with abilities he would never possess, but it grew easier to let go of some of the things that had been bound up in his personality and identity. Itachi had been a loyal and ruthless shinobi, dedicated to his village and his brother, friendly with his partner Kisame, on a quest to make sure his brother was as safe as he could make him. Sasuke was protected by Itachi from any who wished him harm, including Council Leaders of his own village, if necessary, yet Itachi was formal and very much a loner. Leon was quite a bit more relaxed and easy going. He enjoyed spending time with his brother and loved reading. In his previous life, Itachi had been at heart a pacifist, a decision he had made when he was four years old. In his heart, nothing had changed. As Leon, he still disliked the thought of killing. However, as in his previous life, he would fight to protect that which was precious to him. His brother. By the time he was seven in his previous life, he had graduated from the academy and become a shinobi of Konohagakure. In his new body, Leon was able to access his chakra when he was three. It took years to develop chakra sensitivity, and outside of his own body, he still had trouble sensing it unless meditating. He had not realized how much he had depended on it until it was suddenly no longer available. He reached for it all the time, like trying to step forward with a leg that was no longer there. While it had occurred to him to try, he could not live this new life and not at the very least attempt to retrain his body to use chakra. It was too ingrained into his psych, too much a part of his person identity, for him to give it up. Much like his shinobi training. He didn't know how to be a civilian. Instead, he had trained himself to access his chakra as soon as he was able.

It was a relief to him that he was still able to use and manipulate chakra. He started doing exercises and manipulating his chakra as soon as his body was able to cope, and his fingers were able to form the seal shapes. He cast genjutsu as training exercises to help build up his chakra reserves once he was able, and he held them as much as possible to increase his endurance. He had to wait to introduce Harry to taijutsu until he found a civilian version in a book. Leon was cautious and careful. He knew Harry would not suspect anything too unusual about him for years, but caution had been ingrained in him, and he was not as unaware as his brother of their heritage, or their need not to appear too unusual. Leon knew the wizards would come back for them; it was just a matter of time, and when they did, the Potter boys could not appear all powerful or too unusual. He suspected that the wizards were waiting for them to grow up a little. At first he had wondered if they would come when Harry first displayed magic. However, Harry had unconsciously used his magic several times already, and nothing had happened. Since Harry usually displayed the ability when he was emotional, usually upset or angry or hurt, Leon tried to keep him calm. He didn't know when or how the wizards would come, simply that they would, and he was determined he would not be left behind. This time, he would not protect from afar. He would stay by his brother's side, and they would stand against the world together.

During the early years, he had worried he didn't have the ability to do magic, or that his chakra training would interfere with his body's ability to perform it. However, this fear was laid to rest when Leon was about six. Leon and Harry had been running away from Dudley, who had been chasing them, and they had taken a short cut through an abandoned house. Harry had fallen, and broken his arm. Leon had been furious, scared, and his body had been pushing adrenalin through him for several minutes. The sound of Harry's arm snapping had sickened him. He had nearly plowed into a wall himself before he turned around and rushed back to his brother. Without thinking, he had touched Harry's arm. Harry was quiet, breathing heavily and biting his lip, trying not to whimper. Dudley might hear, and right now they were sitting ducks. As soon as Leon's arm had touched Harry though, both Leon's hand and Harry's arm began to glow, and before their eyes, Harry's arm had mended. Within seconds, the pain lines on Harry's face had eased, and he swung his arm out to push himself up. Leon and Harry had continued on their escape route, and made it back to the relative safety of number 4 Privet Drive. And so it had become their secret. Magic. Real magic. Neither Harry nor Leon was able to control it, but it was real, it existed, and obviously the Dursleys knew, and didn't want them to know. It was something they argued about fiercely. Harry wanted to confront them on their knowledge, but Leon insisted on waiting. They weren't the only ones, he pointed out. Sometimes, on the street, odd people would come up and want to shake Harry's hand, and thank him. These people were very excited to meet them, and stared at them in fascination, with a nearly fanatical gleam in their eyes. Harry got uncomfortable, Leon got irritated, and the Durselys became extremely affronted. When they got home, Petunia usually found some way to punish them too. Yet still, Leon insisted that there was a proper time for them to confront their Aunt and Uncle, and this wasn't it. He admitted he didn't know yet when that time would come, but he was certain it would. Rather like his certainty that Aunt Petunia was lying about their parents death. Leon insisted that she was wrong, that they hadn't been useless lay-a-bouts, and that it was Harry and Leon's duty, as sons, to honor their parents memory. It was one of the very few arguments Leon had with Aunt Petunia, and he won. Every week, Petunia Dursley would attend the morning service at the local church with her family, and then she would take her two nephews to the cemetery where her parents were buried. Leon always managed to get at least one Lily flower to put between their grandparents grave, to honor their mother. Then, Leon and Harry would tell Lily Potter, and her family, about their week. Petunia would stand awkwardly to the side, and watch as her nephews paid their respects. It never lasted long, and she never said anything to them, but she always took them. Neither Harry nor Leon ever asked her where their mother was actually buried, and Petunia never told them. Leon asked her once, very quietly, when she had died, and Petunia had told him. Every year after that converstation, on the anniversary of their parents death, Harry and Leon would light a candle in honor of their parents memory.

Harry was not religious, nor did he care much for church, where he felt belittled and looked down on by the local community members who attended. So it had been curious to him that Leon, who was so lacking in basic understanding of some of the most fundamental rights and wrongs, was so insistent on honoring their parents, and following tradition in this matter. For all his formality, Leon was not at all religious. He thought religion was ridiculous, and that believing in one all powerful god was outrageous. His only use for church was playing nice with people who might offer them odd jobs for pocket money. Because Harry insisted on no stealing, Leon had to earn money to get a flower for their mother each week. People were generally willing to pay Leon and Harry a little bit to mow their lawn or trim and weed their flower beds, or other chores, when they found out what the money was being used for. Well, what Leon said it was being used for each week. Harry doubted anyone sat down and worked out how much work he and Leon actually did. If they had, they would know that Leon and Harry earned much more money than that of a single Lily flower each week. They had enough that Leon was able to convince Harry to go and get his hair trimmed at the barber shop, so that he didn't look so wild and chaotic. By keeping his hair very short, Harry was able to manage, with the help of a comb and water, to keep his hair looking somewhat respectable, instead of wild and shaggy. It made his scar a little more visible, but since he kept his fringe, it could still be hidden. Leon simply grew his out in a ponytail so that the natural weight of his hair kept it orderly. Also, Leon and Harry bought food and medical supplies, and usually batteries. They managed to make do with clothing from the Dursleys, but because they were frequently punished with no food or a strapping, cream, bandages and food staples were often required. They hid things in all sorts of places. Harry's favorite was under the creaky floorboard. Leon much preferred more cunningly hidden places, or leaving things out in plain sight, disguised as other things. It had been hard on their bodies, especially at first, but after Leon had taught Harry some exercises to stretch and strengthen muscles, it got a bit easier. Leon also taught Harry to infuse his muscles with chakra when moving heavy objects, and climbing tricks and techniques. Being able to walk up walls and trees was Harry's favorite. He had no fear of heights, and sometimes he would sneak out of the house at night to go and sit on the roof. Leon sometimes joined him, but he knew sometimes Harry liked to be alone to think about things. He loved the wind in his face, and the freedom he felt with what seemed like the whole world spread out before him. It was his comfort, in a world in which he did not have many.

While at first Harry had despaired of always getting Dudley's cast off clothes, which he had many complaints about, Leon soon pointed out the benefits. Anything Dudley didn't like was given to them, and most of that was never worn. Also, Leon brought home a sewing book. When Aunt Petunia got a new sewing machine because the old one broke (and Harry had his suspicions about why it had broken), it went to the rubbish room, and Leon and Harry were soon able to mend their clothes. Instead of looking like ragamuffin street urchins, swimming in ill-fitting clothes, they looked just like the other children in their area at a glance. While some of the neighbours believed Petunia Dursley when she complained about her nephews, and her husband Vernon scowled even at the mention of the oldest, Harry, others thought of the two boys who took care of their lawns to buy money to put flowers on their mother's grave each week, and sat quietly and obediently through the church sermons. Leon and Harry Potter were not total outcasts on their street, but they were not welcomed warmly either.

School had been a blessing for Leon. The manner of teaching was different, the content was different, and the sheer amount of children in one place was different. The concept of teaching children skills they would need later on in life was not. Still, Leon felt everyone here took too much for granted. These people were too decadent, and they were wasteful. If something was deemed a good idea, they seemed to feel, make more of it! Leon had never, in his entire previous life, seen as many books in one place as there were in the local library. While the school one was much smaller, the fact that there was a separate library in a school for civilian children was, to him, incredible. Even after exploring both, and finding the majority of the children's books very unhelpful in regard to information, the sheer volume of them still astounded him. Uchiha Itachi had never been one to reach for a scroll when in doubt, but Leon Potter was very much a bookworm. It had not taken him long, once he discovered libraries, to learn all sorts of things. Always having a book at hand was a marvelous cover for any multitude of things. Teachers encouraged reading. The Dursleys were more willing to believe him with his cover of being studious and intelligent. He was considered reliable and clever. It was a reputation, that, when he became aware of, he encouraged. By the time he was aware of his reputation, he had stopped comparing everything back to his old life. He didn't bother to constantly wonder what Kisame would have thought, or the Uchiha clan. His old life was behind him. He was Leon Potter now, not Uchiha Itachi. Uchiha Itachi had been a different person, with a different life. The fact that Leon Potter remembered his life just gave him a different perspective, and more information to help him on his quest to protect his brother Harry. He still honored the memories of those he had been close too, and once a year he lit a candle and thought of Uchiha Itachi, his life, and his loved ones. Still, Leon Potter considered Harry Potter his family now. He was a wizard, not a loyal Konohgakura shinobi. And he wasn't in his early twenties. He was a child, with all that that entailed. With, granted, a few extra benefits.

It did not take him long to find a book on physical fighting. While he started off with the forms in this world, he soon stopped using the pictures in the books and began with his own world's version of taijutsu. As far as he was able to discover, Fire Country's style of taijutsu was different to anything here, which would give him and Harry an advantage if they had to fight anyone hand to hand. Finding a way to introduce Harry to chakra exercises and genjutsu was more difficult. Leon got lucky though. In his extended reading he came across accomplishments Buddhist monks had preformed after meditating for long periods of time that were remarkably similar to using chakra. He introduced the tasks to Harry, brushing over how long it had taken the monks, and then preformed them himself. It wasn't long before he was guiding Harry in his first fumbling attempts to access his own poorly developed chakra coils. Each time it seemed Harry might give up, Leon egged him on by showing off. He kept things very simple. Academy level only. Henge, and infusing chakra in the body to be able to perform higher jumps and strengthen limbs. Tree walking and water walking. Simple things he'd learned before he graduated. Leon forgot, in his efforts to teach Harry, just how much Itachi had been considered a prodigy, the young heir to the Uchiha clan. Itachi had graduated at seven, accessed his bloodline ability at eight, become ANBU at thirteen, and now that he had that entire lifetime of experience, Leon pushed himself, and his brother hard, ever aware of the danger the wizards, especially that man, posed. Still, he was wise enough to know their physical and mental limits, and careful enough not to exceed them often. He had to admit though, that the chores they did around the neighborhood helped immensely.

Here, the closest thing to a shinobi was a ninja, from Japan, and those people spoke nearly the same language as home. Leon didn't know how he was going to explain that his made up language was apparently Japanese to Harry, but he was content simply not to draw attention to the fact that their made up language was real for now. It wasn't like Harry would go out of his way to look it up, or even that he displayed his ability to speak another language around other people. Still, Leon took advantage of the fact that there was a culture like his own former one, and soon presented ideas he wanted to follow as coming from that country. Because of his desire to protect Harry and help him learn to defend himself from the man who had tried to kill him, Leon had to come up with quite a few other reasons for learning what they did. It was a bit of a challenge, especially because at first Leon had been unprepared for Harry's simple question of why. Why were they learning this? Why was it necessary? Why had Leon decided to learn? Harry was extremely curious, and he didn't hide it. Leon had to get used to justifying and explaining himself to someone who didn't take orders, and didn't always think 'because I think so' was a good enough reason to do something, although sometimes 'because it's fun' was acceptable.

Leon considered the thought of ninjutsu training, and tried it out, but there wasn't that much he could train Harry in right now with ninjutsu, and not that many reasons Harry would respect for learning weapons training. Leon did his best. He managed to steal and modify some things into sebon needles and shuriken and kunai, but although he managed to equip himself with makeshift basic weapons, Leon felt they were not really adequate for everyday use. He practiced himself, in what time he could manage away from Harry and the Dursleys (which was very scarce), but although he managed to get his muscles and body used to carrying weapons, it was not the instinctive body memory he remembered from his old life. While he was able to train his own body and Harry's in chakra use, which also helped him in regaining his chakra sensitivity, Leon Potter regretted the fact that he and Harry were no longer in a home that was as full of magic as their first had been. He had begun to become magic sensitive as a small baby, his body more in tune with the energies around him. Living in the Dursley house nearly killed that sensitivity. The only things that saved the ability in Leon Potter were that his brother Harry was very magical, and the fact that the house had blood wards around it. He had no idea how to extend or encourage his magic sensitivity, or how to get Harry to learn it. In the end, he simply accepted that he would have to wait until the wizards came to them to find the answers to the many questions he had about magic, and his parents and their lives before they died. When they entered the world their parents had died for, that was when he would learn the name of the man who had killed them. That was when he would begin his revenge for their parents, and his quest to protect Harry would begin in earnest. Until then, he was content to wait. To train, and watch his brother grow, and become stronger every day.

Uchiha Itachi had been a highly qualified shinobi of extreme talent and fitness. He had been skilled and well trained and an expert in many things. Leon Potter felt inadequate compared to him in many ways. Still, he was determined not to fail. He would find the truth of what had been happening, and he would protect his brother, keep him happy and safe. Innocent and whole. This time, he would not fail.


	9. Chapter 6: The vanishing glass

**9. Chapter 6: The Vanishing Glass, and the letters from No One.**

Chapter Warnings: Descriptions of child neglect and non-graphic abuse, mostly implicit.

Chapter Summary: The zoo incident, and the letters for Harry. Please keep in mind that this story is simply a more serious version of IReadNoNonsense's. As much as might like wish to change it, I promised IReadNoNonsense that I would write this simply as a more serious version of the original story, until I have caught up to the plot line of that story. That means that all of the events that happen in the original story happen in this one.

The next ten years passed by with hardly any outward change at Privet Drive. The front gardens were still tidy, the brass number four on the Dursleys' house was still polished regularly, and the only thing that had changed in the living room of the house were the photos on the mantle. Ten years ago they had been of two proud parents, and a rather chubby young boy. Now, there were photos that displayed the various triumphs parents like to photograph that offer proof their child has accomplished various milestones. There was no sign that any other children lived in the house.

Yet they were there, both of them awake and waiting for their Aunt Petunia to let them out of their room. One of their chores in the morning was to make breakfast, and that was what they were waiting for. If left to his own devices, Harry might perhaps have slept in, however, his younger brother Leon was an early riser, and disgustingly cheerful in the mornings too. Harry suspected he did it because he got a kick out of teasing his older brother before he was fully awake in the mornings, but he never called Leon on it. Once in the kitchen, Harry and Leon immediately fell into a rhythm they had perfected years ago, moving smoothly around each other as they prepared breakfast. Unusually, their Aunt Petunia hovered in the kitchen, fussing about and constricting their morning banter to a few secret hand signs and smiles. It wasn't until she began fussing about the bacon burning that Harry was reminded that today was their cousin Dudley's birthday.

Harry and Dudley didn't get along very well. Harry thought Dudley was a spoiled brat, and Dudley thought Harry was a weirdo who was too protective of his freak brother. In the manner of children who instinctively understand threats they can't explain, Dudley knew to fear Leon Potter. However, his attempts to explain his unreasoning fear to his parents were misunderstood. While it had been obvious to Petunia and Vernon Dursley that Harry was an unusual freak with the same abilities his parents had, as far as they were aware, Leon Potter had never once displayed the same freakishness. They had tried to stamp the freakishness out of Harry Potter, but it had not worked. And Leon Potter, who was normal as could be, as far as they could tell, didn't seem to understand just how unnatural his brother really was. Leon adored Harry, and instead of looking up to Dudley, as they hoped more and more that he would as the years passed and he seemed normal (if obviously very intelligent, which Petunia claimed must come from her side of the family), he had simply stuck to Harry more closely. Still, Vernon Dursley tried. When Harry had been given chores, Leon had declared he would help. It was a delicate balance for the Dursleys, trying to save Leon while knowing that his freak of brother would break his heart, like Lily had broken Petunia's, when he turned eleven. While Vernon approved, in his own manner, of Leon Potter, it fell to Petunia most often to reach out to him. This was hard for her, as in the depths of her heart she had her own reservations about just how normal her youngest nephew was.

"Leon, where is your present for Dudley?" she asked. "Why don't you get it, and give it to Dudley at breakfast? You spent such a long time considering what to get him, so I'm sure he'll like it!"

Leon looked at her and smiled. "I hope so, Aunt Petunia. Harry and I did spend so long deciding." He said. "I'll get it as soon as I've finished setting the table."

Petunia smiled at him, and then scowled at Harry, who was watching them carefully. "Don't burn the bacon, boy!" she snapped, feeling frazzled and already worrying about Dudley's special day running smoothly. So much could go wrong.

That day, they all went to the zoo for Dudley's birthday. Even Harry had to come, because the old lady who usually took care of him had broken her leg. Usually Petunia used the story that Harry had been grounded for some reason. While some in the neighborhood thought Harry was a bit of a troublemaker, others, thanks to Leon's insistence that his brother help him in his efforts to have pocket money from odd jobs around the street, thought of him as a bright young boy with a bit of mischief in him. Harry was quite excited to be going to the zoo, and Leon shared his happiness. While Dudley and his friend rushed around and tried to out-brag each other, Leon and Harry quietly followed in their wake, trying to take in all the interesting sights. They chatted comfortably to one another, and carefully read the plaques of information on the animals they saw.

When they got to the building with the snakes in it, the trouble began. Dudley and his friend, Piers, were getting a bit tired. They wanted to see something exciting, but the snakes were just lazing about. When Dudley complained to his father, Vernon tried tapping on the glass of one enclosure, but nothing happened, so Dudley moved on, scoffing loudly to his friend to hide his disappointment. Harry and Leon, following behind Mr. Dursley, stopped to look at the snake Dudley had complained was boring. It was then that Harry did something unusual. He began to talk to the snake. Leon was not too surprised to hear his brother hissing at a snake. He was surprised to see it respond rather like a summons though, as if it really understood. He was so surprised, that when Dudley came rushing up and making a fuss, he didn't step in straight away. Dudley pushed Harry, and Leon watched as Harry lost his temper. Suddenly the glass to the snake enclosure vanished, and the snake was free.

Dudley immediately began to panic. He nearly fell into the enclosure, but Leon, with Pier's help, managed to stop that. Finishing his conversation with the snake had distracted Harry, but now that it was free, he looked around for Leon. Leon was busy glaring at him, while attempting to stop their cousin from tattling to their Aunt and Uncle. However, the screams of all the other people in the snake house when they noticed that a snake was free were quite the distraction. As soon as Leon knew he had his brother's attention, he checked their surroundings again. He quickly noticed that the glass that had vanished had reappeared. Leon immediately began exclaiming about how lucky they all were that the crazy snake had simply escaped, and not attacked them. Harry immediately caught on, and backed him up. Dudley tried to insist that the glass had vanished, but Leon simply told him that he was being ridiculous, and that obviously he had been so afraid when the snake snapped at him that he had been seeing things. Dudley, remembering how weird the snake had been, immediately began making a high pitched sound of distress, which was convenient in that by the time Dudley was able to form coherent words and sentences again, Leon had already given an explanation involving no magic that sounded quite reasonable. Harry backed him up, and Piers, who was very confused, agreed simply because he didn't have any other reasonable explanation. While Vernon and Petunia were dubious, Piers seemed to settle it for them. Deciding it had been the zoo's fault and shoddy maintenance that was responsible for her son's trauma, Petunia Dursley was soon on the warpath. The zoo director himself plied her with sweet, strong tea while he apologized profusely. When they got home that night, Vernon locked Harry up in the closet when they got home because he claimed Harry had been disrespectful to him, but other than that, the night passed peacefully enough.

The next day, when Leon spoke to Harry about it as he handed over bread and a bit of steak that he'd snuck away from dinner, he told him that he'd been speaking like a snake. Harry insisted that Leon was wrong, that Harry had been speaking English, but Leon was not convinced.

"I heard you. It wasn't English." Leon insisted. But Harry would have none of that. Neither of them mentioned that the glass at the front of the enclosure had vanished, and then reappeared. Magic was a secret they didn't often discuss, and now was a very unsafe time to do so. If they were caught, their punishment would be severe. The Dursleys were still a little shaken from the Zoo incident, and inclined to punish the boys for any little thing they could think of. Every day Harry was locked in the cupboard, and mostly it was only Leon's offerings of stolen food that he had to eat. Leon himself was also a bit shaken. Harry speaking to the snake reminded him of Sasuke and Orochimaru and their snake summons contracts. As far as he was aware, Harry hadn't made a contract with a snake summons. In fact, he didn't even know if they existed here. However, the fact that Harry could speak to snakes remained. And Harry didn't want to acknowledge it. Between Harry's insistence on ignoring what had happened, and the memories that had stirred because of the incident, Leon sleep, never entirely free of night time terrors, became even more broken, and he grew snappish and cross because he was tired.

It didn't take Leon long to figure out that Harry was afraid. Leon didn't know what to do about Harry's fears, but they were just one more problem to deal with during a time that seemed filled with problems. Something was going to happen soon, he could just feel it. So he did what had always worked for him, which was to confront the fear. Leon turned to the library and he went and got as many books on snakes as he could. Then he read them to Harry. He showed him pictures and quoted famous herpetologists and overloaded Harry's brain on information about snakes until Harry finally gave up in disgust and started reading them himself in self-defense. They read about snake charmers from India and dangerous wildlife specialists in Australia. By the time Leon managed to get some documentary videos from the library, claiming he was doing a summer time holiday project, to watch, the summer holidays had already started. Vernon and Petunia were no longer jumping on the littlest thing either boy did wrong, Leon's sleeping pattern had returned to usual, and although Harry was still unreasonably silent on what had happened at the zoo, Leon could overlook that. Of course, now that their troubles seemed to be over, or at least settled for the time being, something had to happen.

It started with the letter of course. After the first one, which he'd stupidly taken into the kitchen with him, where of course Dudley had seen it. He'd then made such a fuss that Uncle Vernon had noticed and then Harry no longer had the letter. It served him right, Leon told him, that if he was stupid enough to try to read such an obviously strange letter addressed to him in front of the Dursleys that they took it from him. Hopefully, Leon told him crossly, when Harry had complained once too often for him to tolerate any longer that day, it would teach him to be more careful in the future. His skin was itchy, and that odd feeling was stronger than ever. Something was happening, he felt. Like a static charge in the air, the feeling grew. Something was about to change. Leon couldn't articulate the feeling very well, and his attempts to explain to Harry had been frustrating for them both. Harry was insisting Leon was imagining things, and Leon couldn't even tell his brother with certainty that he was wrong.

As the week passed, Harry attempted numerous ways to get a letter. Leon watched, but didn't bother to help Harry, even when he asked. The letters made him uneasy, and if his brother was going to be so difficult, then he wasn't going to make things any easier. They had a fight about it, and now they were hardly talking at all. Still, by the end of the week, with the entire household on edge, and Vernon seemingly loosing his mind, Leon was inclined to make amends with Harry. Time, he felt, was running out. What would happen when it did, he had no idea, but the thought of something, anything happening, while they were on the outs, terrified him. Unfortunately, by this time Vernon's mental breakdown seemed to include taking the family to a small island in the middle of nowhere, and it was late before Leon and Harry could talk without any of the Dursleys overhearing, since they were now still asleep.

"I'm sorry Harry." Leon blurted out, when it was safe to talk. "I know things aren't the best between us right now, but…" here he trailed off, struggling to put his feelings into words for Harry.

Harry smiled at him. "We're brothers Leon, even when we fight. It's ok. Don't worry so much."

Leon scowled at him, but inside he was relieved. Harry had managed, once again, to express what he struggled to say, and to understand him when he could hardly understand himself. They would be alright, his brother and him. "So." He said. "I got you something, for your birthday."

Harry looked at him in surprise. "Really? It's my birthday already?" he asked in astonishment. Leon smiled at him, relieved.

"Yeah, it is." He said archly. "Imagine that. Another year older, and still you're surprised. Doesn't say much about your mental capacity does it?" Harry scowled, and swiped his hand at Leon, who ducked, and smirked at his brother.

"So, where's this gift of mine?" Harry demanded. Leon laughed, and and got the gift he'd swiped during the week out of the jacket he'd kept it safely hidden in.

"Here it is. I knew you wanted one." He said, as he handed the letter over to his brother. Harry looked at him in pleased surprise. Harry knew how Leon felt about the letters, and it pleased him that his brother would do this for him, despite his own feelings. He smiled happily at Leon, and started to open the letter.


	10. Chapter 7: The Letter Sender and Diagon

**10. Chapter 7: The Letter Sender and Diagon Alley. **

Chapter Warnings: Descriptions of child neglect and non-graphic abuse, mostly implicit. Racism against muggles. Racism against wizards. Also, the end of the chapter may confuse and or worry some readers. Fear not! All will be explained next chapter.

Chapter Summary: The Potter boys meet their wizarding representitive who was sent to deliver Harry's letter. Harry has his birthday, and they go to Diagon Alley.

Authors note: Apologies for having this at the top, but it feels more appropriate here. First of all, I appologise for putting this up a day late. I am in a different country, called Brunei! It is on the Isle of Borneo. I will be here for at least a month. The internet is very dodgy, and yesterday we had no power, so I couldn't post or do my usual replies. Secondly, there seems to be some confusion that I have tried to clear up at the beginning of this chapter. The letters came all week just like in the original Harry Potter books. Leon just wasn't very clear on that. It's there if you read carefully, but is not as clearly set out as it could be. However, this chapter is very long, and I hope you enjoy reading it.

Leon watched as his brother eagerly started to open the letter. It had been a highly unusual week. It troubled Leon that after years of Leon's training, Harry had not simply managed to get one of the many letters that had come that week. They had been such odd ways too. Letters in eggs, and down the chimney and practically fired through the letter slit in the house. And the owls! Uncle Vernon had become quite unhinged. Which was, Leon supposed, exactly why they were on a small rock in the middle of seawater. Maybe Uncle Vernon had read some of the folklore that said magic didn't survive running water, or that salt was a purification element? Not that Leon thought these measures would suffice against the unrelenting nature of the one who had been sending letters. Whoever it was seemed very determined that Harry receive one. So now they were in a broken-down house on a rock in the sea all alone for his brother's eleventh birthday. Leon had to admit that even yesterday he wouldn't have guessed this would be where they ended up for it. Which was too bad. He'd had to leave the rest of Harry's presents at home. He had no idea when they were going home, and what other madness their Aunt and Uncle might come up with to try and prevent Harry from receiving these letters. Much better to give Harry a letter on his birthday as he so wanted, and ride out the madness of their family. Eventually they'd go home, and he could give Harry the presents then. Harry, Leon though, was quite happy right now. Some one cared enough about them to be sending letters, and he had Leon with him, and the Dursleys were in an uproar, and over nothing he'd done. Part of Leon suspected that the reason Harry hadn't gotten a letter himself was that he just wanted to see how far it would go, and if he really could get Uncle Vernon to have a heart attack. He could be quite vindictive at times.

Harry had finished exploring the envelope and opened the seal by the time Leon was drawn out of his thoughts. Thunder outside boomed, and lightening crashed, and they both jumped, and then Harry smiled at him.

"Thanks Leon." He murmured quietly. "You didn't have to. I know you have a bad feeling about this." He looked at Leon earnestly. "But, my feelings tell me this is… something…" he looked like he was struggling to find the words to express himself, but when Leon opened his mouth, Harry shook his head fiercely, his eyes blazing. "The letters… they mean… something new! Something exciting. This is it Leon! I think this is what you've been waiting for. What you've been making me wait for. Our chance to change things." He looked at Leon earnestly, the letter lying limply in his lap as he gazed at Leon, his expression excited and hopeful. "I… I know, you're… you're uneasy about this." Harry bit his lip, and started to look concerned. "But you mustn't be scared Leon. This… this is a good change. I know it!" Well. He'd started off stuttering and uncertain, but by the end of his little speech, Harry was practically alight with fervor, lit from within with the power of his conviction. Leon could do nothing but smile at his brother's speech. Harry was right. He was uneasy about this change. And nervous. Accepting magic back into their lives meant that they'd be in more danger. And Harry had no idea.

"You're right Harry. I shouldn't be nervous. This is magic, and it is fun." He acknowledged. Harry beamed at him, and picked up the letter again, getting ready to draw out the contents. However, Leon's sense of unease, which had been acting up all day, now went haywire. Someone was coming, something… He put his hand on Harry's knee to warn him, and Harry stilled beside him. He trusted Leon's instincts too. They both tensed and strained their senses and in just a second…

Boom. Not thunder.

Boom. That sound again. No lightening flashed either.

It was someone knocking on the door. The door behind them crashed open, and Uncle Vernon, armed with a shotgun, burst through into their room. He shouted a warning at whoever was on the other side. There was a pause. Anticipation hung in the air. Smash! The door was busted in, and a very large man squeezed into the small house. He carefully placed the door back into place. Leon stood to the side where he and Harry had scrambled as soon as Uncle Vernon came in waving a gun about. His thoughts frantically churned as he tried to remember why this man was familiar…

"Couldn't make us a cup o' tea, could yeh? It's not been an easy journey…" the man spoke, and Leon remembered. Hagrid! Hagrid who'd collected them from their parents house and taken them to that much nicer hut, and then to the medical staff, and then to Privet Drive where that Dumbledore had left them. Good natured, not that bright, careful with children, and very large and strong and rather intimidating to other adults. A bit simple in some respects, but not an imbecile or brain damaged. Leon could see exactly why he and Harry were to be introduced to the Wizarding World by this man. He was just the sort Harry would like. Even Leon himself did not mind this man. He'd prefer someone he could actually ask intelligent and thoughtful questions of about the Wizarding World as a guide, but this man, with his easy-going nature, faith in Dumbledore, and protective instincts, was exactly the sort that his ten year old brother would love. Instantly, he was suspicious of whoever had sent him. Hagrid himself was alright, but whoever was behind the scene, manipulating himself and Harry, had chosen this man carefully. Leon would have to keep a close eye on his interactions with Harry. Harry was excitable and tended to jump to conclusions. It was then incredibly hard to change his mind. Nearly impossible, in fact. Unfortunately, his instincts were usually right, so Harry never really saw any reason to change his mind. It was very frustrating.

By the time all this had gone through his head, Hagrid had already intimidated Dudley into moving from the sofa, and started to introduce himself to them.

"An' here's Harry and little Leon!" he said, beaming at them happily. Leon wrenched his full attention to the now, and concentrated on focusing on the very important meeting taking place. "Las' time I saw you, you was both only babies." He studied them both for a few seconds, very intensely. "Yeh look a lot like yer dad, but yeh've got yer mum's eyes." He finally pronounced to Harry. Harry looked inordinately happy with this. It was true enough though, Leon supposed. Harry was small and skinny from not getting as much as he should to eat, as was Leon. Appart from that, his face mostly looked like their dad's, and his hair was practically the same. Almost like someone had turned James' hair into a wig and then stuck it on Harry's head. It w

as as dark as their father's and stuck up all over the place mostly. He had glasses too. Leon usually forgot about them. Aunt Petunia had gotten a very cheap pair for him once, and it had taken ages for Leon to earn enough money for a pair of better frames. Then he and Harry had to book an appointment without anyone finding out, sneak Aunt Petunia's medical card from her purse, go to the appointment, pay for the appointment, and choose a pair of glasses frames. It was only then that they'd realized frames and the glasses in them were different, and had different prices. It meant that they'd had to get a much cheaper pair that Leon had originally planned. It had been a huge ordeal. Leon had been very relieved that everything had run smoothly, and quite distraught when he realized that they were supposed to do this every six months.

However, the tests were covered on the card, and Harry didn't need new glasses every six months. His eye problem seemed to be short sightedness, a genetic problem, and that hadn't changed since he was six. Leon and Harry had managed to place the card back in Aunt Petunia's purse, and she apparently hadn't paid that much attention to the medical bill statement that quarter. Still, they'd gotten very lucky there. And Harry still had to wear cheap ugly looking glasses. At least though, the prescription hadn't made them worse, as the pair Aunt Petunia gave him would have. If he'd continued to wear those, he'd have been ok for a little bit, but over the long run, they would have made his eyes that much worse, and nearly impossible to cure. Leon didn't really think his Aunt Petunia was aware of that. She'd simply gone out and gotten a cheap pair of glasses for her nephew who needed them. She didn't know anything about glasses, Leon knew. He'd asked her quite a few questions when Harry had first been given a pair, and she'd been flustered and annoyed because she didn't know. When she did know things, she enjoyed lecturing him for hours, and making him wish he'd never asked in the first place. He sometimes suspected it was revenge for all the 'why' questions she'd been plagued with by three toddlers when they were small.

Still. So Harry was small and skinny with a dark mop of hair and looked like their dad. Except for their mother's eyes. Well. That was a fairly accurate description. Harry had indeed inherited their mother's lovely eyes. Leon liked looking him in the eye, and seeing his emotions shimmering there, much like their mother. He'd seen her love as she looked at them, and it was soothing to see it reflected in Harry's direct gaze as well.

"As fer yeh, little Leon," Hagrid chuckled, "Yeh've got yer mum's looks. Bit delicate teh tell yeh the truth. An' her hair too. That dark red. Very memorable, that. Got yeh father's eye color though." He added, peering at Leon very closely. "Yeah. Brown, just like his." He sat back and beamed at them. By now Uncle Vernon had found his voice, and he demanded Hagrid leave. Hagrid dismissed him, and took the gun off him and made in unuseable before he tossed it in a corner.

"Anyway, Harry-" Hagrid turned his attention back to them, "a very happy birthday to yeh. Got summat for yeh here – I mighta sat on it at some point, but it'll taste all right." He handed Harry a slightly squashed box. Harry opened it with fingers that trembled with eagerness and excitement. Inside was a large, sticky chocolate cake with Happy Birthday Harry written on it in green icing. It looked delicious. Leon leaned over to inspect it more closely. Harry on the other hand, looked up at Hagrid.

"Who are you?" he asked.

"Harry!" Exclaimed Leon. Harry gave a guilty start and looked ashamed of himself.

"Er.. I mean. Thank you for the birthday cake." He added hastily. Hagrid chuckled.

"Yer welcome. But it's true. I haven't introduced meself. Reubus Hagrid, Keeper of Keys and Grounds at Hogwarts." He held out his hand, which was simply enormous, and shook each of their arms.

"What about that tea then, eh?" he said, rubbing his hands together. "I'd not say no ter summat stronger if yeh've got it, mind." He said, and Harry grinned. He lit a fire in the fireplace, and started pulling things out of his pockets. Things that included frying pans and kettles and mugs and a package of sausages. He also took a quick sip of something Leon suspected was alcoholic before he started making tea. Everyone sat or stood in awkward silence while he worked. Still, with the fire crackling merrily away, the entire room felt warmer and cozy.

Harry and Leon were served the sausages and a warm cup of tea, which was delicious. Leon nibbled at his, and was going to offer his plate to his cousin, but his Aunt Petunia caught his eye and the glint in hers made him decide that manners could be sacrificed. So he was still nibbling on his second sausage by the time Harry had finished.

"I'm sorry, but I still don't really know who you are." Harry started off.

Hagrid looked at him. "Call me Hagrid," he said, "everyone does. An' like I told yeh, I'm Keeper of Keys at Hogwars – yeh'll know all about Hogwarts, o' course." Wow. Someone had seriously misinformed Hagrid. Leon was not terribly surprised by that. It merely added to his suspicions concerning that man.

"Er- no,' said his brother.

Hagrid looked shocked.

"Sorry," Harry quickly added.

"Sorry?" barked Hagrid, turning around to face the Dursleys. "It's them as should be sorry! I knew yeh weren't getting' ter letters but I never thought yeh wouldn't even know abou' Hogwarts, fer cryin' out loud! Did yeh never wonder where yer parents lernt it all?"

By now Harry was looking very confused. Hagrid was glowering at the Dursleys, and they were looking quite panicked themselves.

"All what?" asked Harry.

"ALL WHAT?" Hagrid's voice was like thunder. "Now wait jus' one second!. Do you mean ter tell me," he jumped up and continued, growling now at the Dursleys. "that these boys, that Harry! – knows nothin' abou' – about ANYTHING?" Leon watched in facination. As he had suspected would be the case, Hagrid was very upset about their lack of knowledge. He seemed to think it was their right to know, and that anyone denying them the knowledge of who they were was nearly a criminal offence. And he was getting angry on their behalf. It was nice to have a potential ally within reach. Harry, when he glanced at his brother, on the other hand, was looking a bit unimpressed. Well, he wouldn't like being accused of being such an idiot that he didn't know anything. He was quite intelligent, and Leon had pushed him to learn quite a few useful things. He could get a bit sensitive about being compared to Leon in intelligence and intellectual ability. He didn't seem to have caught the part where they were both apparently ignorant.

"I know some things," he said, with a bit of a cross pout. "I can, you know, do maths and..." he looked at Leon. "stuff."

But Hagrid simply waved his hand and said, "About our world, I mean. Your world. My world. Yer parents' world."

"What world?" Now Harry simply looked confused.

Hagrid swelled up in outrage. He looked like a frog. Or a puffer fish.

"DURSLEY!" he boomed. Huh. Patriarchal society then, if he looked to the man as the head of the house. Even though Aunt Petunia was their witch mother Lily's sister by blood, and should thus be the one to know. Uncle Vernon muttered something Leon didn't bother to pay attention to. Hagrid was looking frazzled and dazed and a bit wild by now. He certainly hadn't expected this, which was obvious. And he was bewildered by the facts that despite the fact that they had grown up in this world, they didn't know anything about their parents world.

"But yeh must know about yer mum and dad," he said. "I mean, they're famous. You're famous." Huh. Did he mean Harry in particular, or both of them? Why were their parents famous? Hadn't they been secret fighters in the war? Unless their famous personas had been a cover for their activities?

"What? Our – our mum and dad weren't famous, were they?"

"Yeh don' know… yeh don' know…" Hagrid seemed to be in shock.

"Yeh don' know what yeh are?" he said finally.

By now it seemed Uncle Vernon had recovered. He demanded that Hagrid stop. Apparently he didn't want them to learn the truth. Was he really such an idiot? Leon looked at his Uncle, who was quivering with both outrage and fear, and decided, yes, his Uncle really was that stupid.

"You never told him? Them? Never told them what was in the letter Dumbledore left fer them? I was there! I saw Dumbledore leave it, Dursley! An' you've kept it from them all these years!"

Realising what was about to happen, Uncle Vernon tried to forbid it, and Aunt Petunia gasped in horror.

Hagrid glowered at them both. "Ah, go boil yer heads, the both of yeh," said Hagrid. "Harry – yer and yeh brother are wizards." Harry looked at him, his eyes wide and round. Harry remained silent, thinking, probably, of all the magic he and Leon had ever done. Hagrid peered at him, and continued on. "Thumpin' good'uns, I'd say, once yeh've been trained up a bit. With a mum and dad like yours, what else would yeh be? An' I reckon it's about time yeh read yer letter." He continued his encouragement, and and held out a new letter, addressed to Mr H. Potter, The Floor, Hut-on-the-Rock, The Sea.

Harry opened and read this one without any of the ceremony he had used with Leon's. Leon's was still stuffed in the waistband of Harry's pants, Leon could tell. It would be safe there. While Leon was reading his letter, Leon watched as Hagrid wrote a message to Dumbledore, telling him what Hagrid was doing. Apparently they were going shopping tomorrow.

Hagrid explained what he knew about their parents, Aunt Petunia had a fit over their mother, feelings she seemed to have kept inside her for years, and Dudley narrowly avoided being turned into a pig by Hagrid by Leon. Much as he personally disliked his cousin, it wasn't fair to him to penalize hi for his parents mistakes through the use of magic. Still, as he fell asleep with his brother under Hagrid's donated coat, his mind whirled with possibilities.

Diagon alley was very strange. Going through the pub, they both shook hands with many people. It upset Leon that Hagrid didn't realise he should have stopped them, but only a little. Leon shook hands with the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, but Harry was too busy with others to do more than smile and wave at him. First was the bank. Harry and Leon were taken down with Hagrid to their vault, and they both filled a bag with piles of the money. Leon was careful to take some of the silver and bronze money, knuts and sickles, with him, especially when he noticed Harry went mainly for the gold. He kept a careful tally of his own bag, and made Harry count his. Then Hagrid had to pick up a parcel for Dumbledore, which Leon and Harry found most mysterious and intriguing. Once at the top, Leon exchanged some of his gold for muggle pounds, because, as he explained when Hagrid expressed his surprise, Harry might be going on in the Wizarding world, but Leon couldn't go for another year. After Gringotts, which Leon made a mental note to take Harry back to later, to investigate that vault properly, and get some useful information about; they were taken to Madam Malkins. Leon was not surprised that the nervous mouthy blond managed to upset his brother, but he soothed things over as best he could with introductions. The blond boy gaped at the fact that they were the Potter brothers, and then offered to help them 'find their way'. He was a bit of snobby brat, but the offer of help seemed to sooth Harry's ruffled feathers a bit. However the boy was remarkably like a skinny, snobby, more intelligent version of their cousin. Leon produced an address book, which he kept on his person, and a pen, and the boy wrote down an address they could owl him at. He was quite fascinated with the 'muggle' objects. They'd have to get an owl first, but Leon didn't mention that. Instead, Leon asked a question about the sport he'd mentioned, and he started off explaining all about it. Leon also didn't mention to Madame Malkin, who measured them for their robes, that he wasn't going to Hogwarts this year. She seemed to be in such a rush, with so many customers, that she was simply measuring all the children that came into the shop for Hogwarts robes. And Leon had plans for those robes anyway.

After their encounter with their first fellow student in the robes shop, Leon got more of an idea about why Hagrid was their guide. He quietly ate his own strawberry ice cream that Hagrid had bought from Florean Fortescue's for him as he listened to Harry's discussion with Hagrid. He reassured Harry that they weren't 'from a muggle family' as if that would be something to be ashamed of, and that they technically were, and when Harry mentioned the school houses, shot down Slytherin as house for evil people. It sort of made Leon want to join Slytherin just to be contrary, before he realized that was the 'Harry' voice in his head that egged him on to be stubborn or do stupid things just because he could. Hagrid was very much against Dark wizards, it seemed. Although he was using Dark as a synonym for Evil, which Leon was a bit doubtful about. Oh, he was sure there were evil people about, but he had a feeling the whole Dark and Light wizard thing was a lot more complicated than Hagrid made it seem.

They got their quills and parchment and ink at the next store. Harry carefully considered his parchment, Leon noted with approval. In the end he chose high quality parchment that would be useful for letter writing in a variety of sizes, and a whole sheaf of cheap stuff for practicing. It was probably only because of Leon's long rants on decent paper, which wasn't readily available in the muggle world, for writing in their secret language, but that was better than not noticing at all. Leon shuddered when he noticed other students rushing in, grabbing the first lot of cheap paper they could find, and rushing out. There were also candles for dripping wax, and various sized generic stamps they could choose. Or, they could request a design of their own. Harry got a simple pre-made H, and Leon, on a whim, decided to have one carved with the Uchiha clan symbol and his first name under that. The shop assistant promised it would be ready by the time they were finished. Leon also got some parchment, which he intended to use for writing letters. He made sure he and Harry had decent sharp quills, and quality ink in a few different colours and thicknesses, including ink powder to make their own ink, which he felt was important. That included little bowls and measuring spoons, and stirring rods. There was fine sand for drying ink, which Leon had to point out to Harry, otherwise he would have passed it by. They also picked up blank books for school, one for each subject Hagrid said Harry would do this year, and some spares. They were apparently enchanted to be inkblot and ink smudge resistant, and tare resistant. Also, apparently they would never run out of pages. Hagrid thought that loose parchment was good enough, but Leon insisted. It was what they were used to in muggle school, and the transition would be hard enough without making it unduly strange, he explained, and Hagrid smiled at him and told him he was very clever to have thought of that. There were also small daggers, used for sharpening quills. Leon went through them, judging sharpness and balance and how well each was made, and picked out twelve of them he felt were very good quality. There were little sheaths to put them in too. Hagrid raised his bushy eyebrows at those purchases, but said nothing, even when the price was a bit high.

Next was the shop for trunks and bags. Harry was set only to get a standard trunk, but Leon insisted some more thought go into this. They would both like trunks with anti-theft charms, fire-proof protection, water resistance, password protection, and lots of space. Like the one in the shop window with a shelf for books, a little fold out table, a wardrobe, and a normal chest space. They would be using these trunks for years, he said pointedly to Harry, so it was best to get ones that would fit a lot in them. They were, once again, quite expensive, and they'd have to come back later that day for them. The trunks also came with small manuals with instructions and information in them. Leon and Harry also got some book bags, and Leon found pouches like the ones he'd used as a ninja. So he got some of those also. They were all leather, and hand crafted. Then they got potions equipment, and Leon was thankful he wasn't the one who had to talk Harry out of buying a gold cauldron. Hagrid though, was quite firm about buying the things on the list. Leon was absolutely fascinated with the Apothecary they visited next. There were many ingredients there, some of which he recognized from his previous life. He'd be able to make special chakra infused ink for tags now, and some healing potions. And two of the three poisons he preferred. He also found the special fish oil Kisame had liked to polish his sword with. For sentimental reasons, he'd added that to his collection of extras.

In Flourish and Blotts he got another set of the first year books, all the history books that mentioned them, and all of the others that wrote about the War with You Know Who. He also got several older history texts. There wasn't anything on the shelves that he could find that dealt with reincarnation, but he hadn't had a chance to scour the whole place yet. He also got several books written about Goblin culture and history that weren't written in their language. At the counter, while his purchases were being totaled, and then put into bags that had feather light charms put on them, he asked if he could mail order books. The clerk told him yes, and gave him several catalogues. Leon also asked the clerk if he knew which books were useful to muggleborn students entering the wizarding world for the first time. Apparently there was a starting kit package, and Leon asked for that as well. Harry and Hagrid helped carry his perchases.

Hagrid took them to Eeylops Owl Emporium, a shop full of owls. While they were choosing, he went to get their trunks. They emerged nearly an hour later with an owl in a large cage each, and some other bags. Inside there were owl treats, water and food dishes, and special brushes for brushing owl feathers. There were also several books on owl care, owl mail delivery history, and an instruction manual for registering owls in muggle residence areas. Leon had purchased all of these, although he'd used some of Harry's gold to do it. One was a gorgeous white snowy owl for Harry, and the other a fierce eagle owl with browny-red and white-flecked feathers for Leon. They both thanked him profusely, Harry stuttering like the teacher they'd met. Hagrid brushed off their thanks with an uncomfortable shrug and wave of his large hand, and a blush of his own.

Ollivanders was a shop that seemed to go for cheap theatrics. The man impressed Harry with his creepiness, but not Leon. He was old and odd and reminded him of a soothsayer or fortune teller. Very unimpressive. And dangerous. The process of finding Harry's wand was quite dangerous as well. Harry nearly managed to set Leon on fire before he dodged, and he seemed to destroy random property with each flick of a different wand. After they had Harry's wand, with the old man's warning ringing in their ears, Hagrid took them both back to muggle London. Harry and Leon and Hagrid struggled with all their parcels and packages and two owls through the underground and to Paddington Station. Once there, they had hamburgers with Hagrid before their train back to the Dursleys. Hagrid offered a very quiet and tired Leon and Harry some advice, gave Harry his ticket for September first, and said to write to him if the Dursleys were a problem. Their owls would be able to find him, no problem. Leon resolved to make sure that he and Harry wrote to the man anyway.

When they got home that night, laden down with all their shopping, Aunt Petunia met them at the door with a disapproving frown. She sent them straight off to bed with a lecture on how disruptive they were. Once in their room, Harry and Leon put their things away carefully in their new trunks. Indeed, Harry put nearly all his belongings in his new trunk. His clothes and shoes went in the wardrobe, his textbooks on the middle shelf of the bookshelves, and his blank ones underneath that. His parchment and writing equipment was packed securely into the desk drawers. They could only open one trunk at a time in their small room. It was very squishy. Leon made sure that he put some bandages and cream and food and water in both trunks, and put most of his new things in his trunk too. Then the trunks went into the now mostly empty cupboard in their room. Leon cajoled Harry into doing their exercises, which they hadn't done in the morning, and they went to bed without talking.

The next morning when they woke up, Leon knew they had a lot to do in the month they had left. As he'd woken first, just before first light, Leon woke Harry up, and they did their morning exercises. Then they did their morning chores for the Dursleys, who still seemed to be pretending they didn't exist. When they finished they went back upstairs, and Leon suggested Harry write a thank you note to Hagrid, while he read some of the books. Leon started with the instruction manual, and set his password in Japanese. Sasuke. I'm ok. While he did that, Harry sat down to write. He soon discovered he wasn't very good at mixing ink, so he decided to stick with the pre-made stuff. His first attempt was an awful blob on the page. It took him a while to get the hang of writing words with a quill using ink that he dipped the quill in. At first he tried to move the quill as a brush too much. Once he got the hang of making the quill and ink work on parchment, he practiced writing the alphabet. This was where his practice in calligraphy was useful. Once he knew how to hold the quill balanced correctly, and got a feel for when he should re-ink, words flowed smoothly across the parchment. Then he wrote his note first as a draft copy, and then on the better parchment. By this time, Leon had gone on to the registering an owl in a muggle area book. It wasn't very complicated. All they had to do was send their address in a letter to the Department of Muggle Communications by either owl or floo, with a feather from the owl or owls to be registered. They even helpfully had a couple of standard letters one could copy straight from the book. So Leon had Harry write that next. After they sent that, the Department would send the necessary muggle papers back, and they could post them the muggle way through the post for registration. If the muggles sent a letter saying a representative would come to check, they were to notify the Department, who would send a witch or wizard to make sure there were no problems. While Harry carefully copied the letter template Leon thought they should use, Leon read the muggleborn starter kit. Or at least he flipped through it.

Then Harry had to write a letter to the Malfoy boy thanking him for his friendly advice the other day. Harry scowled and muttered that he didn't really think the boy had been helpful, but Leon made him write it anyway. It was, he lectured, like going to church each Sunday. Meanwhile, Leon himself flipped through the goblin books, trying find out if sending a letter was offensive to the Goblins, and if not, what was the politest way to go about it. Harry called a break for lunch, and then they had to weed the garden, and wash two cars for different neighbors, and weed next door's garden too. They'd already promised to do those chores for extra money. They got home late that afternoon, and Leon made Harry read the start up kit books while Leon did some writing. It took him far less time to master the quill and ink, and he made his own too, with easy practiced motions familiar to him through his past life. He added his thanks to Hagrid, and checked the one for the owl registration, and added his thanks under Harry's writing to the boy they'd met. Then he composed his own letter to the Goblins about their account. They weren't called down to dinner that night, and Aunt Petunia didn't shove anything under the door, although she did come up and lock it after they came back and had finished showering. Leon and Harry read the owl care book together, and carefully pulled one feather off each owl. They were both rather good about it, all told, especially after Harry explained why they were doing it to them. Magical owls, Leon supposed, were rather like summons. More intelligent than they might appear.

They stayed up reading, Harry choosing his history textbook, and Leon reading One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi. Once the Dursleys were asleep, Leon and Harry broke out of their room, got some food from the kitchen, and sent off their owls with the letters. Harry's went to Hagrid and the boy, since they didn't know where he lived, or how far away Hogwarts was. Leon's went to Gringotts and the Ministry of Magic, since they were both in London, and they wanted fast replies from those letters. Then Leon took Harry to the park. It was deserted at this time of night, and they'd used it for years as part of their training ground. Once there, they only spoke their secret language. It was a time for just them, together against anything. It was Leon's favorite place to be with his brother. They did some warm up exercises, and Harry spoke as they sparred. Giving him something active to do usually seemed to help him focus.

"They all knew our names. Knew all about our parents and everything." Harry said, as he threw a clumsy punch. Leon ducked it and rolled out of Harry's reach, not saying anything. Harry needed to rant. "They all think we're special, that I'm going to do great things. We don't even remember what we're famous for." He added bitterly, and Leon bit his lip to keep from replying that he remembered. Unhappy now himself, he started to attack, keeping his brother so busy he didn't have time to say anything any more. Eventually they stopped sparring and moved into cool down exercises.

"What are you going to do about Stonewall High?" Leon asked. "I have to start there this year. We were in the same class together. You're going to Hogwarts instead, but I'm still to go there." Harry looked at him in horror.  
"I hadn't even thought of that!" he cried. Leon smiled at him.  
"Yeah, I noticed." He said. "Besides, I was really careful to make sure we were, you know, in the system, so we couldn't just disappear. I read the muggle starter kit, and it'll be easy for you. All you have to do is notify the school you've transferred your registration. I still have to go, because I wasn't invited to Hogwarts this year. Next year, I expect." Harry looked at him in worry.  
"Still, you'll be ok without me for bit, won't you?" he said. "I mean, it's just one year, and then you're with me again." Leon smiled at his brother.  
"I'll be fine." He said. "I'm more worried about you. Like I said, I went to all that trouble, and now you're disappearing from the system into the magical world. I don't like that. I'd rather have the option to return here, if something happened." Harry looked at him in fond bafflement.  
"Why would you choose here over magic?" he asked. Leon just looked at him. "I'm not staying here!" Harry exclaimed. "We've talked about this, how we were going to leave and never come back! Now's our chance, and you want to stay here?" He demanded with scorn.

Leon glared at him. "I didn't say that!" he snapped back. "You saw that place! We could run away to that world. That pub sold beds upstairs, I noticed. We could live there and never see the Dursleys again! But I'm not going to risk running off their and closing all our options in this world. We've worked too hard to just vanish! What if it's worse there? What if you decide you don't like it there, and want to come back? It's hard to go back to school once you've dropped out. And I know it seemed like a lot of money in the vault yesterday, but how long would it really last? Can we afford to live without jobs in either world for years? Because at the rate of conversion from galleons to pounds, I don't think we could afford to live here for too long on that gold." Harry glared at him, but didn't tell him he was wrong either. The Wizarding world called strongly to Leon's brother, he could see that. But Harry wouldn't abandon Leon, and if Leon chose to stay here… Harry might hate him forever, might never forgive him. But he'd stay, if Leon asked. So Leon could never ask. It would cost them both too much.

Instead, he offered a compromise. "You could do both." He suggested. Harry gaped at him before he began spluttering. Before his brother could work up to actual words, Leon showed him what he meant. His fingers came together in seals familiar to him, and he carefully fed his chakra through his body until… poof! In a flash of smoke, a clone of him appeared. Harry gaped some more. "It's a technique I've been practicing for a while." Leon said. "It lets you be two places at once. As long as no one touches the other you too hard, it'll stay. You could make one of these each night, send it from your school, and it could do the day's work. It goes home, does the homework, and then destroys itself. You get the memories of what it did that day, and make another. Then when you make the next, it goes from the school to here, does the next day, and you repeat. That way everyone still thinks you're at school here. You tell the Dursleys you changed your mind and aren't going, and then you sneak away and send the clones each night. What do you think?" Harry gaped at him a bit more, and then flung himself at Leon in a big hug.

"I think I've got the smartest younger brother ever." He said. So Leon tried to teach him the shadow clone technique. It was a highly classified jutsu for a reason. It was dangerous to learn, and easy to over-extend your abilities on. Chakra burnout was a severe danger usually. No Jounin trainer would consider teaching it to his genin. They used chakra too casually, too often. And it was an obvious cheat. If another you could learn something at the same time, then you could goof off while your clone did your training for you! However, it wasn't that simple. A lot of training genin went through involved their bodies. Shadow clones might do a day's exercise, and then at the end of the day when it was destroyed, so did you, but training was used for building muscle memory. If your clone did the work, your body didn't remember it. It was better for information gathering. It wouldn't work on building spirit energy either, for the same reason. Meditating through a clone calmed the clone's energy, not yours. And the energy released in making a clone didn't come back when the clone was destroyed. It was simply gone. Shinobi needed a lot of power to make the jutsu. Uzumaki's insane ability to create hundreds of the things was a fluke no one could reproduce. They'd die, killing themselves just to keep up. He housed the Kuubi, the Nine Tailed Demon Fox, within him. However, Harry wasn't a shinobi. He didn't reach for chakra first, and didn't use it all the time. He had good reserves, enough to do this, but it would be tiring at first. Leon would be monitoring him closely. It was a good chakra building exercise for him to do. Clones could be living a muggle life, while Harry went away to do magic. It could work, if it was done carefully. And Leon would be around to make sure that things did.

It took Harry about an hour to produce a solid shadow clone. It dissolved as soon as any pressure was applied, but he'd managed it. As soon as it disappeared, his eyes rounded. "Wow." He breathed. "That's, wow." Knowing exactly what he meant, the extraordinary feeling of thinking that you existed and seeing things from your own point of view until, pop! You didn't exist anymore, and the experiences you just had went rushing back to your original.

"Clones are good for studying." Leon said. "So, from now on I want you to make a clone and hold it as long as you can. When it gets destroyed, make another. Keep doing that. If you feel that you're too low on chakra, stop and ask me. I'll be able to tell." With that, he set to practicing making his own clones. He made one, and had it read the book he'd made sure to bring to training. It was one of the history books. Leon felt it was important to know what other people believed about them from the books. Also, he was interested in the other history surrounding their story as well. After the first was made and he settled to read, Leon made another. The second one wasn't as good as the first. Leon started to do a kata, and the clone mimicked him. Good enough. He'd see how long he could hold the second one before it disappeared. After a couple of hours the boys and their clones snuck back into the house. Leon and Harry went to sleep, and the clones settled down to read by torchlight.

By the end of the week, Hagrid and Malfoy had replied to their thank you letters, Harry could hold a clone for nearly a whole day, although it still looked a bit funny, and Leon's seal had been delivered. Also, the owl registration papers had come through. Harry had posted them to the appropriate muggle authorities, who'd issued papers in a package back, but hadn't visited, and the Goblins had replied. They were happy to list the vaults the Potter boys owned, and how much was in them, and give a thorough accounting of the last ten years. Leon went through the stack of documents they sent, checking that everything was in order. Leon wrote a note thanking the Goblins and asking for books they recommended on information on themselves and their language. When their reply came he ordered more books on the Goblin language, and bought muggle books on learning latin. He drilled Harry in it constantly too. He also arranged for their muggle textbooks and equipment, and made sure that they both sewed name tags into Harry's clothes. He sent an owl to Saint Mungos, the Wizarding hospital, asking about an eye examination, and booked one for a week before September first. He kept up on training their stamina and chakra reserves, and planned out and made sure Harry followed, a reading plan for both the magical and muggle textbooks for school. He tore through them all himself as well. When it was time for the appointment, he let Harry and a clone of his sneak away, while he and Harry's clone stayed behind to prevent suspicion. Harry and the clone made it back, Harry bubbling with excitement that he might be able to get rid of his glasses in a few years if he took a steady list of rather expensive potions for the next three years. He'd already agreed, and begun the treatment. The money would go straight from the vault to an account already held by their family for generations; he said he'd been told when he asked. Leon was happy for him.

When the Dursleys heard that Harry said he'd be going to Stonewall high and not Hogwarts, their reactions had been surprising. Aunt Petunia had been most unhappy, and Uncle Vernon had been very surprised. They seemed jumpy all summer, like they expected some wizard to show up on their door and demand that Harry go away anyway. They didn't relax until September arrived, and Harry appeared to simply go to Stonewall each day with Leon, and no-one came to yell at them. After that, they even warmed up a bit to Harry. There were no more ridiculous punishments, and Aunt Petunia let up on all the chores now that they were at comprehensive 'because they needed to concentrate on their education.' Uncle Vernon offered to drive them to school each morning, and Aunt Petunia even packed them lunches. Harry and Leon (mostly Leon) still did jobs around the neighborhood, and life went on smoothly at number four Privet Drive.


	11. Chapter 8: Harry goes to Hogwarts

**11. Chapter 8: Harry goes to Hogwarts **

Chapter Warnings: None.

Chapter Summary: Harry catches the Hogwarts Express.

Authors note: Anything that seems to come directly from the book does. It's not much, just a short description and some dialogue. However, most of the dialogue in the chapter is either edited to fit two Potters, or made up. It has some important points in it, but this chapter feels the most like a filler chapter that I've written. On the other hand, the next chapter will, if I write it correctly, simply be a series of letters until Halloween. Also, as IReadNoNonsense has cheated outrageously in writing From one to the other (also formerly Reincarnation), and jumped to year two in her latest chapter. Sadly, I still have a number of chapters to write to the end of first year. Also, I am sorry I was not able to upload on Wednesday again. Anyone else have trouble with login?

As September the first neared, Harry got more and more excited, and more nervous. While he trusted Leon, Harry was not nearly as blasé about their ability to deceive both their relatives and the wizarding world for one day, let alone the next seven years! He worried about holding a clone all day. He worried about the clone popping in the middle of a class. Leon would be punished, and he'd be far away and unable to do anything! Leon didn't seem at all worried about any of the long list of problems that could occur with this plan. Harry knew Leon was highly intelligent, and frankly, a bit arrogant. Leon thought he knew everything, even when it was obvious he couldn't, and he tended to act as if his plans were infallible. Harry still remembered when Leon was eight and tried some chemical mix to make the outdoor white paint glossier and quicker drying. The inside of the garden shed was covered in a mess that they'd had to repaint when the concoction exploded. They were lucky Leon was cautious enough to wait until their relatives were out for the day. It had been a disaster. And it was not the only time Harry could recall something going wrong. Still, it seemed very important to Leon that Harry continue to go to muggle school, even if he didn't want to, and what was important to Leon was important to Harry. Sort of.

It had been hard work cramming for two completely different schools over the summer holiday. The only reason he'd been able to do as much as he had was Leon and his ghastly schedules. Harry hated them with a passion, but even he had to admit they were affective. Leon had made him promise to send a copy of his magic lessons timetable and any other things he might sign up for or do, and Harry was convinced it was because Leon was going to make him another schedule to keep. Still, Harry knew he'd do it. He was too used to doing things the way he'd always done them. Not following one of Leon's schedules didn't make him feel happy; it made him uneasy. Harry was all for a bit of spontaneous fun, and it was enjoyable talking Leon round. However, he was used to a day that had distinctive parts planned out. Leon never went insane. He didn't go overboard with precise minutes and detailed structures, but he provided order that Harry seriously needed. If left to his own devices, Harry tended to be a broody child, prone to spending time alone and wasting hours doing nothing constructive, even as he could not stay still. Leon had long ago found a series of small exercises to strengthen and create more flexibility in Harry's hands, feet, arms and legs that could be done any time he felt like wriggling around or pacing. Harry had gotten so used to them that he did them unconsciously now.

As September approached, Harry and Leon plotted how to get Harry to Hogwarts. Stonewall didn't actually start until the second, because the first was actually on a Sunday. This was very good, because it meant that Leon could see Harry safely off, and see if their plan was feasible, before he had to go off to Stonewall by himself. On Saturday evening after dinner, Harry and Leon excused themselves up to their room and prepared for bed. Then they very carefully locked their door and snuck out the barred window, which was not as barred as Uncle Vernon liked to think, and down the reinforced gutter pipe, and out to the garden shed. Leon and Harry had stored Harry's trunk and owl there during the day, confident that none of their relatives would go out to the shed on a Saturday. Once the trunk and Hedwig, Harry's owl, had been collected, they walked to the train station, and caught the train to Paddington station again. From there, they made their way to the Leaky cauldron, where Leon had booked a room by owl the previous week. The bar tender Tom quickly overcame his surprise at recognizing the Potter siblings, and helped them carry Harry's things to their room. They spend Saturday night asleep squashed together in the single big bed in the room, lulled to sleep by murmurs and the clinking of bottles, that drifted upstairs from the common room below.

On Sunday morning, Leon awoke at a disgustingly early hour. He ruthlessly woke Harry up, and they did their morning exercises and prepared themselves before they went downstairs for breakfast. After breakfast, they went out to the Alley. They slipped through the passage, and then henged into two of their primary school teachers faces' and wizarding robes like those described in the Introduction to the Wizarding World for Muggles books as robes belonging to well-to-do declared Light wizard robes. Then they went and got some floo powder. Leon's idea for the clones was simple, and came mostly from two sources. Hogwarts, A History, and the Introduction to the Wizarding World for Muggles books. Harry would make a shadow clone. The clone would find one of the secret passageways to Hogsmeade mentioned in Hogwarts, A History, henge, and go to the village. Then the clone would floo to the Leaky Cauldron, as detailed by the Introduction to the Wizarding World for Muggles book described. Then the clone would take the train back to Surrey, get some rest, and attend Stonewall all day. The clone would then do some study, do all homework for the next day, and destroy itself. By which time Harry should have finished classes and dinner, and be doing his own homework. He'd then make a new clone, and the process would start all over again.

It was a good plan. With the henge, shadow-clone-Harry could look like an adult Wizard who had every right to use the floo to the Leaky Cauldron. Leon was already hip deep in letters to the Goblin bank about buying property in Hogsmeade and London, and was negotiating a price for a cottage on the outskirts of Hogsmeade currently. It would be better to have their own properties to floo to and from, he had reasoned to Harry, as it would probably be less suspicious than some random Wizard turning up nearly every day to use the floo to London, instead of apparating as most Wizards could. However, it was less suspicious than taking the Wizarding Knight Bus every day.

After they got their floo powder, and Leon had dragged Harry into Gringotts to check how the purchase of the cottage in Hogsmeade was going, with strict instructions to Harry about how they should both behave and what he was supposed to say, they caught the train from Paddington station to Kings Cross. Once there, they had to look for platform Nine and three quarters. Harry was a bit nervous about trying to find a wall with an invisible doorway they were supposed to run through, but Leon was self-assured as always. Leon strolled along casually in front of Harry, sort of making room for Harry pushing the trolley with his trunk and owl on it behind him. They were actually on platforms nine and ten, and looking for the wall they were supposed to go through, when Harry heard a snatch of conversation.

"-so many Muggles so be careful–" floated from behind him. He spun around and saw a plump woman lecturing a crowd of red-haired children. He gave a clucking sound he was sure Leon would hear, and Leon turned around. The woman was looking around too, but Harry made sure not give any eye contact. Instead, he watched as she eyed a particular wall, and soon enough a teenaged boy with a trunk and a harried expression swept past her, and ran at the wall. He disappeared without a sound. While the book had been quite clear, Harry was still feeling nervous. Although he knew Leon wouldn't be happy, Harry decided to ask a responsible adult for help. After all, while Leon might have the confidence to try something like this by himself, Harry was a bit more sensibly afraid! So he marched up to the lady and asked her.

"Excuse me," Harry said to the plump woman.

"Hullo, dear," she said, "First time at Hogwarts? Ron's new, too." She pointed at the youngest of the boys surrounding her that Harry guessed were her children. Ron was tall, thin and gangling, with freckles, big hand and feet and a long nose. By this time, Leon had joined Harry and was scowling at him. Harry ignored him.

"Yes," said Harry. "The thing is – well, you see, we don't know how to –" here he sort of flopped his hand at Leon, and then at the wall.

"How to get on to the platform?" she said kindly, and Harry nodded.

"Not to worry," she said. "All you have to do is walk straight at the barrier between platforms nine and ten. Don't stop and don't be scared you'll crash into it, that's very important. Best do it at a bit of a run if you're nervous. Go on, go now before my lot."

"Er – um. Thanks. Yeah, OK," said Harry. Leon scowled at him.

"I'm going first," he demanded. Harry sighed, but rolled his eyes and gestured for him to go. Leon determinedly trotted at the wall, and just before it sort of sprung forwards, and disappeared. Harry quickly followed him through. There were lots of people on the platform, but Harry had eyes only for his brother. Leon was already safely out of the way of any incoming travelers, and he grabbed the trolley and helped Harry move to a safer place. Then he spotted the Malfoy snot, and dragged Harry and their trolley along with him. Malfoy was with his parents, but he nodded to Leon and Harry as they came closer, and then introduced them all. Mr. Malfoy sneered politely, but Mrs. Malfoy smiled kindly at them, and congratulated them for not having had any trouble arriving. Harry was polite, but it was Leon who did most of the talking. However, they left soon enough, and moved down the train to try and find an empty carriage. Leon lectured Harry on the importance of knowing people, but Harry tuned him out, determined to get as much fun out of this as he could. He was going on a train to a magic school! Leon realized he wasn't paying attention soon enough, and went back to scowling at him. When they got to an empty carriage, he refused to help Harry with his trunk or Hedwig too. Harry rolled his eyes at him again, and did it himself. Leon laughed at him and didn't even try to hide how funny he found Harry's attempts to maneuver his trunk. He'd already dropped it on his foot twice before one of the red-haired sons of the helpful plump lady found him.

"Want a hand?" he offered.

"Yes, please," panted Harry.

"Oy, Fred! C'mere and help!"

With the twins help, Harry's trunk was at last tucked away in a corner of the compartment, and Leon came trotting in holding Hedwig's cage, innocent as butter.

"Give me her!" Harry snarled at him. Leon smirked back, but handed over Harry's owl quickly enough. Harry turned back to the twins.

"Thanks for that," he said. The twins laughed.

"Not a problem," said one.

"You looked like you needed the help," said the other. They smiled at him, and then left. Harry collapsed into a seat that conveniently left him able to watch the red-haired family outside the compartment. Leon sat beside him, shoulders brushing, and they watched them as they said farewell to each other.

"Guess this is it." Harry said to Leon. "I'll send a clone tonight, after dinner, and we'll see how it goes. Remember to write to me sometimes, and not just about homework."

Leon smiled at him, and nudged his shoulder. "Course not. And I'll see your clone anyway." They fell silent, and didn't say anything more. Soon the train whistle blew in warning, and Leon got off. He reappeared at Harry's window, and they watched each other. As the train started to pull away, Leon began to wave. Harry stood up and waved back until he was out of sight, and then collapsed back on his seat. It was a long way to Hogwarts.

As the train pulled away, Leon waved until he couldn't see the train anymore. When he turned back, there weren't many people left at the platform. However, the woman who had assisted them was still there with her youngest child, a girl his own age. She smiled at him.

"Seeing your brother off then, were you dear?" she asked.

Leon nodded silently. "Yes. First time. It's odd." He said, once the silence had gone on a second too long. The woman smiled again.

"It feels different, when you can't follow someone anymore, when you used to all the time," she said compassionately. "Still, you can always owl," she added brightly. Leon smiled at her, understanding what had drawn Harry to her, and her family. She was so maternal and warm. Kind-hearted. Harry liked that sort.

"I'm Leon, by the way," he said. The woman laughed a bit.

"Oh dear. Silly me! Of course, I'm Molly Weasley dear, and this is my daughter Ginny," she said, gesturing to the girl standing at her side. Leon murmured hello to her too. She giggled, but didn't say anything to him. Mrs. Weasley looked at the big clock, and clucked.

"Oh dear. We're going to be late, Ginny! Well, if you need to, you can owl me any time. I live at the Burrow. Will you be alright Leon?" she asked.

'I'll be fine," said Leon. "I'm just waiting for my Uncle," he added smoothly, when she looked about to say something more. "You should probably be going." Mrs. Weasley looked him over once again, and then smiled and bustled her daughter away. Leon waited for her to disappear before he went back through the barrier with the empty muggle trolley.

Going home alone was peculiar. Leon was startled to realize that he was already missing his brother. Not having Harry with him was strange. Knowing he couldn't follow his brother to Hogwarts yet was frustrating. At home, he destroyed his own clone, but left the Harry clone alone. He waited for a long while, but he fell asleep waiting for his brother's shadow clone to arrive close to midnight.


	12. Chapter 9: All the way to Halloween

**Chapter 9: All the way to Halloween **

Chapter Warnings: Sibling squabbles.

Chapter Summary: Harry at Hogwarts, all the way to Halloween.

Leon

I got here safely. I made a friend on the train. His name is Ron Weasley, and he's been sorted into Gryffindor, like me. I had a run in with that prat Malfoy too. He's an obnoxious jerk, and he's in Slytherin. After we were sorted we had dinner. It was awesome! There was everything there. Everything was like you read to me from Hogwarts, A History.

The other boys in my dorm are Dean Thomas, Seamus Finnigan and Neville Longbottom. Thomas is muggleborn, Finnegan is half, and Longbottom is Pureblood. They all seem nice.

I will send my schedule tomorrow.

Write back soon,  
Love Harry.

P.S - Followed your plan too. It wasn't that hard to find one. I had a look around. It was a bit dusty when I sneezed, and it felt like I would disappear! I got lost, and had to retrace my steps. So I went back again. This time, I made sure to use a hanky when I sneezed, and got back to familiar ground. From there I had two choices. I went back to bed. This exploring thing is going to be a bit more complicated than we thought, I think. It will need some revision.

Leon read the note, written in Japanese and on the type of parchment he had admired the most of all the kinds Harry got, and then burned it. Harry had been vague enough that he didn't think anyone else who might have read it would understand the postscript that would have gotten them into trouble if anyone else knew about, but he hadn't been subtle either. The fact that it was in Japanese didn't comfort him that much either. He was pretty sure wizards had spells that would help them understand what had been written. It had been a long night. The shadow clone hadn't come until the early hours of the morning. And when it had, it hadn't been happy. Harry had managed to make a clone at the train station. He'd found a house to sneak into that had a fireplace, and a fire that was burning nicely. He'd put a pinch of floo powder in the fireplace, stated his destination, and stepped in. And never came out the other end. The clones weren't strong enough to travel using floo. Harry had known as soon as the clone vanished. He'd already been inside and at the feast before his clone had been destroyed though. That meant that he had to wait until everyone went to sleep, sneak out of his dorm room, common room, and out of Hogwarts himself, floo to London, and then send a clone on the muggle train to the Dursleys. Then he'd had to get back. Finding a secret passage had been harder than Harry expected. In the end he'd simply found an open window and walked down the wall and off Hogwarts grounds and down to Hogsmeade to the house he'd found earlier. Harry didn't get much sleep. The clone didn't either. Leon wasn't much better off. The clone complained to him all day when he could. It took a bit more willpower than Leon liked to control himself enough not to dispel the clone. However, he restrained himself, and the clone made it safely home with him. While Leon did their chores, the clone did the work and study he needed for the next day. It ate dinner with the family, and then retired to their room. Leon met it reluctantly. It ranted, he sulked, and in the end Leon had an argument with his brother through a shadow clone that cheated and destroyed itself. It left Leon feeling unhappy and angry and worried. And he still had to do his own studying and work. After he'd finished, he wrote a letter to his brother.

To Harry.

Congratulations on your sorting. I hope you enjoy Gryffindor, and your new friendships very much. Don't forget to send me your timetable. I never found Malfoy as offensive as you. Perhaps you're a bit sensitive. I'm glad you found the extra reading helpful. Perhaps you will continue to do more on your own.

Sorry about our plans not working out as well as we'd hoped. Still, all is not yet lost. Keep searching for what we're looking for, I'm sure you'll find it soon. Remember to pace yourself. Also, sneaking around after dark is quite dangerous. You should be careful. I don't want you to get caught and have house points deducted!

I shall try to push forward the purchase as quickly as possible, because I know you are as eager as I am about it. I shall continue to update you about how it progresses.

Send my regards to Hagrid.

Love,  
your brother,  
Leon Potter

P.S – I met a Mrs. Molly Weasley and her daughter Ginny at the train station. She encouraged me to write to her at any time. I think I will send her a thank you note, and mention you and Ron Weasley are friends.

Leon and Harry continued their written letters, and Leon wrote weekly to Molly Weasley. He also kept himself updated on how Gringotts was handling the purchase of the cottage in Hogsmeade, and finding a London property. He kept up with school work and did a few neighborhood chores on the weekends.

Leon

On the next page is my time table. Sorry it took me all week to remember. Also, the ghosts here are mostly not very helpful. And the caretaker is really mean! Ron and me got lost and were trying to open a door that wouldn't open and he thought we were trying to break into the forbidden third floor when we weren't. Luckily, Professor Quirrel, the one you met when we went with Hagrid to Diagon Alley (remember?) saved us.

I don't like looking at the stars for class on Wednesday nights. It's cold and everyone bumps into you and sometimes I can't hear the teacher because of the wind. But she's ok. All the teachers are really, except for the ghost who teaches History of Magic. He's so boring. Also, he mostly drones on about the goblin wars. If you read the chapter before class, then you don't have to pay attention. I mostly play games with Ron in that class.

Also, Professor Snape doesn't seem to like me much. He doesn't pick on me any more than the other Gryffindors much, and because I've studied for this class, and you made me read the book and study for it before hand, I was prepared for his questions. Apart from me, the only one who knew any of the answers seemed to be Hermione Granger. She reminds me of you, a bit. She's really smart too. He's not as bad as Uncle Vernon was, but I don't know why he doesn't like me! Most of the other teachers do.

Also, Friday was the first day I didn't get lost once on the way down to the Great hall for breakfast! I had afternoon tea with Hagrid this afternoon too, which was nice. He has a huge dog called Fang, but he's really friendly. I took Ron down to meet him too, and told him you said hi. He says hi back. I told him about Snape, and he was hiding something, I think. Also, I found a copy of the Daily Prophet, and have sent you a clipping I think you'll find interesting. Hagrid had this cut out on his table.

Flying is next Wednesday with the Slytherins. I'm looking forward to flying, but I wish it wasn't with them!

Harry

Harry,

I'm glad you're having such a good time. It all sounds very interesting. You're right, I did find the clipping interesting. Also, I have started getting a paper to read, to keep me up to date. Keep looking for interesting things! Also, the purchase will be ready by the end of the month.

Tell me how your flying lessons go.

I miss you.

Leon

Leon

I made seeker! Also, I still hate Malfoy. He's a gigantic git. Classes are getting easier, now that I'm getting used to them. Also, thanks for the planning charts you sent. They've been useful. Keeping up with my homework is easier this way. Ron thinks it's a bit crazy, but he follows it too. Granger has a plan like it too, I think, because we usually see her in the library and common room too.

Harry

Harry,

I'm glad you're settling in. I know you like Ron, but you haven't mentioned many others. Just because you've made one new friend doesn't mean that you should ignore everyone else. Are there any sort of clubs or hobby groups there?

Purchase should be through by the end of the month, I'm sure you will be pleased to know. I've thought about it, and the second one is also going through. Hopefully it will all be finalized by the end of the year. That should make things easier.

Leon

Leon

I made Seeker! Also, I found that secret I was looking for. I am now on the team. Dad played Quidditch too. I am not interested in any of the clubs around. I don't have the time, especially with all the Quidditch training I have to do now.

Malfoy challenged me to a Wizards Duel, and Ron and I accepted, and Granger got involved because she's worried about school rules. She doesn't remind me of you so much any more. She's more like me. I was a bit harsh with her actually. Anyway, Longbottom, who was injured during the flying lesson, was outside because he forgot the password, and we all ended up left outside because the lady in the painting left. So we went to the duel, and Malfoy wasn't there because he's an evil little git. We ended up finding something interesting. I'll tell you more when we see each other.

Harry

Harry

You're an idiot. I don't want to write to you right now.

Also, I wrote your Professor Snape, introducing myself. Did you know he went to school with our parents? He knew mum. I think you should invite him to light a candle with you.

Leon

Leon

You did what! He doesn't even like me. I don't want to write to you now.

Harry

P.S – He asked me about our candle tradition. Then he told me he'd be my escort to the lake, because mum really liked it there. He scowled a lot, and I thought he'd give me a detention, but he didn't.

On Halloween day Leon turned up in the afternoon after classes were over. He said Professor Snape had owled him and told him he should be there too, for lighting the candles. Professor Snape had arranged it all. Harry, Leon and the Professor all stood by the lake at dusk and put small candles the Professor had charmed to float into the water. They watched them for a while, Leon and Harry standing side by side, their shoulders touching. The Professor hovered awkwardly by them. After the candles had floated away, he ushered them back inside to have dinner. Harry had just started to eat some potato when Professor Quirrell burst in and made his dramatic announcement about a troll. Leon stayed by Harry's side as he and Ron set off to rescue Hermione.

In the end it was mostly due to luck, as Professor McGonagall said, that Harry and Ron survived. Leon had kept the coolest head, but he'd been too busy trying to make sure Hermione remained alive to watch Harry as he should have.

Afterwards, in the hospital ward Leon had insisted they all go to as a precaution, Harry and Leon fought while Hermione and Ron stayed awkwardly silent, and the Professors pretended not to notice. Harry thought Professor Snape had acted suspiciously. Leon thought that Professor Quirrell was more suspicious, and that if Harry was going to be so stupid, why wasn't he looking at Dumbledore and asking why half the school had been sent towards the dungeons where the troll supposedly was, instead of everyone remaining calmly in the Great Hall, which had extra protections on it? They'd started their argument in whispers, but at the end they were both yelling. Harry was so stumped by Leon's last point that he didn't say anything else. Leon left with Professor Snape as his escort, and didn't look back. Harry, seething furiously, yet unable to articulate his feelings into words, stared at his back until they left, and then stubbornly crossed his arms and refused to talk to anyone for the rest of the night.


End file.
